The Mark
by nightshadowdark
Summary: A man who just decided what to do with his future suddenly finds himself in the possesion of a Kirlia who had been abused. She rewards him with a mark of gratitude that only members of the Ralts family can give. However, life is not all good for them.
1. Prologue

One day in late summer, a man looked out over the lake in the shade of a large tree. The lake was not extremely large, but it had many appealing qualities; such as the crystal clear; water that was so clear that you could see all of the water Pokémon swimming around. As the man watched a school of Magikarp and Feebas play, a sudden shadow appeared below them. The school scattered as a beautiful cream colored Pokémon shot up out of the water. Two long red scarf-like appendages came out from its head which held two powerful, blue eyes. It was a Milotic.

"Miiii," it squealed. The man just chuckled to himself as the Pokémon stared at him playfully.

"And how are you Mia?" the man asked. The Milotic, Mia, responded by spraying him with a small jet of water.

"Looooo!" it purred as it slithered its way up onto land and cuddled its head up to its faithful trainer.

The man, whose name was Seth, started to scratch the beautiful Pokémon's head. Seth was not a particularly noticeable man, except for the fact that he wore all black to go with his longish jet black hair that fell evenly on all sides of his head, so that he had to part it to the right. He was fairly tall at 6'1" and weighed a good 190 lbs of pure muscle, though he was not extremely well muscled. He wore a black t-shirt with black jeans and black tennis shoes.

Seth sat there scratching the Milotic he called Mia's head. She purred contently. However, the calm scene did not last long, for both of them turned their heads when they heard what sounded like shouting. Both of them sprang up quickly, Mia jumping back into the water while Seth ran to his campsite in a small clearing.

When Seth arrived he saw an Infernape and Electivire squaring off while shouting insults in their native pokespeak. He looked around the clearing a little more to see a Roserade and Froslass huddling together in an attempt to avoid getting into the fight. At that moment both the Infernape and the Electivire ran at each other, the Infernape forming a fire punch while the Electivire forming a thunder punch.

"STOP IT BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW!" shouted Seth anger clear on his face. Both Pokémon turned to him, surprised and dropped their fists. "Now I don't care what caused this fight you both are the oldest of this team and you're acting like a bunch of pathetic babies!" The Infernape, named Ignis, hung his head in shame while the Electivire, whose name was Shock, did the same.

"Vire…," Shock mumbled obviously still frustrated with Ignis.

"Now," Seth commanded, "I want no more fighting for the remainder of this trip, when we get home you two can go spar. Deal?"

Shock shouted his name enthusiastically while Ignis breathed fire into the air. Seth was happy to see that his two friends had made up, sort of. He then turned to the Froslass, Lacy, and the Roserade, Fiore.

"What did I tell you about letting those two off their leashes?" Seth chuckled, while the two Pokémon laughed. This is what Seth liked to see, but he looked up and saw that he had missed the sunset. He sighed and said, "Alright I better get some grub ready for you guys." Soon Seth had gathered firewood and Ignis had lit it using a weak flamethrower. Seth gathered the ingredients for his famous pokeblocks. They were specially made for each of his Pokémon, red for Ignis, yellow for Shock, blue for Mia, green for Fiore, and finally light blue for Lacy. Each one was made with specific berries that benefitted that breed of Pokémon.

After he finished cooking, Seth looked up at the stars. 'They're beautiful tonight,' he thought. 'Too bad that they have to disappear into the light of the city in a few days,' he thought. Seth then thought about his life back in his home at Creativita City. It wasn't a huge city but it was full of artists, musicians, and writers. The gym leader, who happened to be his sister, was famous for having an amazingly powerful Smeargle. He lived in a big house with his brother and sister after their Mom died. He thought of how he was torn between signing a huge record deal for himself, or becoming a professional trainer. His brother, a painter, was encouraging him to go with the music, while his gym leader of a sister was trying to convince him to become a trainer.

The more he thought about it, he realized that he had not done much with his life. At 21 he was the oldest of his siblings, while his 19 year old sister and brother already were successful bringing in more than enough money to support them all. He felt like he was using his family, and not doing anything to help it. At that point he felt lonely, desperate, and quite angry with himself. 'Damn my laziness,' Seth thought to himself.

"Lass?" A feminine voice broke through Seth's thoughts. He looked up to see Lacy looking at him with a look of concern in her eyes. 'She must have felt my negative feelings,' Seth thought. He looked at the Froslass and smiled his warm smile.

"Hey Lace, what's up?" Seth asked. She merely floated up to him and gave him a hug. Seth had to laugh, he had often heard stories of Froslass being mean and loving to show off their frozen prey in their lairs. Seth had caught Lacy as a Froslass after finding her nearly melting from being on Mount Calor instead of Mount Frio. He didn't know why, but she just instantly took to him.

"Alright, thank you Lace, I'm feeling much better now," Seth said pulling out of the embrace.

"Froslass!" Lacy said happily.

Seth looked up into the sky and saw that it was dark. He glanced at his electronic watch that he had owned since he was only 11. The time read almost eleven o' clock. "Alright everybody in your tents, and off to bed!" he shouted.

Being rich had its advantages; Seth bought special tents for each and every one of his Pokémon that wanted one. Ignis' had a heater and hot coals in it for him; Shock's had a high power generator in it that he could plug his tails into. Lacy's had a cooling unit in it that kept hers at a comfortable, at least for her, minus 38 degrees. Mia slept wherever there was water, and if there wasn't any than she just slept in her Luxury Ball. Fiore slept outside in the grass whenever she could. If there wasn't any around than she would just join Seth in his.

One by one they all filed into their respective sleeping areas. As Seth got settled into his sleeping bag, he started to think about what he wanted to do with his life. He always loved battling and so did his team, that's why they joined him. Seth was always very conscious of his Pokémon, as if you couldn't tell. When he caught them, he didn't really "catch" them but rather asked if they would like to travel and battle with him. Looking back on it now, he laughed at the fact that the only thing that said he wasn't a trainer was a title and the fact that he rarely battled trainers. Finally, sleep overcame him. However, right before falling into dreamland, Seth thought 'Today was almost perfect for everyone. I bet there was no one who had a bad day today.'

While Seth and the team were soundly sleeping, a little Kirlia was attempting to scream. However every time she tried she got a hard punch to the face from a Machamp. This was the way it had been since the day she was caught by her evil trainer. She had been caught as a Kirlia, and thought that this would finally be her chance to travel and see the world. She was dead wrong. Everyday her trainer would find new ways to torture her; from making her bend over backward enough to touch her feet to making her pee then drink it. She shuddered remembering all of those times, such as that morning. Suddenly a dark figure dressed all in black came out of a tent. The Kirlia knew to be scared; she could feel his lust and desire.

"Hello my little slut," the man said, malice dripping off of every word. "You ready to earn your keep, bitch?"

With that the man yanked on the leash the Kirlia was on which was attached to some sort of collar that the man put on her. All she knew was that it kept her from using her psychic powers, leaving her defenseless. The man then proceeded to take out his cock. "You know what to do bitch," he said. Indeed the Kirlia did know what to do as she started licking the massive thing. The man then yanked the Kirlia up and forced his massive penis all the way into her mouth causing the young Pokémon to gag and start to cry. The man laughed evilly as the Kirlia cried and he continually pulled her back and forth on his cock. Then he pulled it out of her mouth and positioned her so that he could enter her. However, before he did, he pulled out a pokeball and released a Gengar. The man nodded to the Gengar, who nodded back. The Gengar pulled out his own cock and forced it, brutally, into the Kirlia's mouth.

Both the man and Gengar began pumping until they both came, leaving all three of them exhausted. During this time the Machamp had fallen asleep. The man returned both Gengar and Machamp, and kicked the Kirlia.

"Lia!" the poor girl screamed as she fell.

"I'll see you tomorrow, bitch!" laughed the man as he went into his tent and fell asleep instantly.

As the Kirlia laid there she realized something. Her master had forgotten to tie her again! With renewed vigor the Pokémon stood up and ran over to where her master kept his Pokeballs. She rummaged around until she found hers. She then listened to the tent to hear her master's loud snoring. 'Yes!' she thought. The Kirlia then ran as fast as her small legs would carry her. She didn't care where she was going; she just never wanted to see that man again.

As the Kirlia ran, she couldn't help but realize that the forest was void of any emotions. Everything was sleeping, so there would be nothing to help her if she was caught.

Early next morning Seth got up and stretched. He exited his tent in his night clothes which consisted of no shirt and a pair of basketball shorts in the summer, and sweats in the winter. Seth then strolled over to the lake where he watched the early morning sun dance across the beautiful lake. As he was enjoying the sunrise, he did not hear small footsteps rustling the grass behind him.

The Kirlia had run all night, so she was exhausted and cut up from all of the sticks and stones. She then felt a huge spike of happy emotions, so she ran towards it. When she peeked out of the trees, she saw a man without his shirt on standing and looking at the sunrise. A quick peer into his emotions revealed that this man harbored no evil side. Noting this, the Kirlia tried to run towards him only to trip on a rock and break her leg. Being the calm Emotion Pokémon that she was, the Kirlia held her leg and began to cry he eyes out.

Seth was enjoying the sunset when out of nowhere he heard crying. Turning around he saw a small Kirlia with cuts and bruises all over its body, holding its left leg close to it. Seth quickly walked over to the Pokémon and knelt when he was about five feet away.

"Hi," Seth said gently holding out a hand. The Kirlia looked up at the man through tear stained eyes. Suddenly, without warning the Kirlia leapt at the man who caught her as she embraced him. Seth was a little surprised at how eager the Kirlia was to leap into his arms.

Seeing the little Pokémon weep into his arms, Seth decided to return the hug, cooing to it softly. After a good ten minutes, the Kirlia managed to stop crying, so she looked up at the person holding her. Seth saw her face and smiled a warm smile.

"Hey there, little one, are you ok?" Seth asked. The Kirlia shook her head and pointed to her broken leg. "Your leg is broken?" Seth questioned, receiving a nod from the Kirlia. Seth thought for a few seconds before noticing the Pokeball that Kirlia had dropped when she jumped. He went over and picked it up.

"KIR!" the Kirlia shouted, snuggling deeper into Seth's chest.

"You don't want to go in?" he asked. Seth once again received a nod. "Alright, fair enough," He said smiling.

The Kirlia smiled back until she heard an all too familiar voice, and felt and all too familiar emotion. Shrieking, she snuggled into Seth's chest as if trying to hide. Seth was curious until he heard a gruff voice shout,

"HEY YOU GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING KIRLIA!"

Seth turned around to see that he had turned to face the barrel of a shotgun pointed directly at his head.

A/N Alright this is my first fic so don't think it's going to be that great. There is more plot in the next chapter, I just needed to introduce the characters in this one. Anyway, if this receives enough decent reviews then I will continue.


	2. The Fight

Seth looked down the barrel of the gun and thought 'Ignis, Shock, Mia, Somebody, this might be a great time for you to wake up.' Seth then focused his attention on the man. He was much larger than Seth, but Seth was a few inches taller. His eyes were a cold, piercing blue, the kind that struck fear into every person's heart. He wore similar clothes to Seth, only instead of a plain black t-shirt; the man wore one with the band Children of Bodom (One of my favorites) on it.

"Did you fucking hear me?" the man asked threateningly. "Hand over the little Kirlia. Now!"

"Calm down," Seth said calmly.

"Then give me my fucking Pokémon!" the man commanded, his voice rising. Seth noted that the man's eyes were darting back and forth between him and the Kirlia. He could immediately tell that there was something wrong with this man. Something was off about him.

"Okay, okay," Seth replied. As he went to put Kirlia back into its Pokeball, the tiny psychic type sent it flying into a tree and looked at Seth with big, pleading eyes, tears forming in the corners. This instantly put up a red flag in Seth's mind. "No." Seth said firmly.

"Wh-What?" the man asked bewildered. His expression then changed from one of shock to one of pure rage. "I warned you," the man growled.

Seth quickly whirled around, pulling Kirlia close to him. Right as Seth turned, the man fired. The shot rang out through the early morning skies causing any Pokémon within a mile to turn and run. However, this shot also caused each of Seth's Pokémon to shoot awake and move out of their tents. What they saw was a gruesome sight.

Seth was breathing raggedly as he held Kirlia close to his chest in one arm, while the other went up to his shoulder. When his hand touched, Seth felt something warm and wet. He looked down at Kirlia, who had a terrified expression on her face, and then to his shoulder. When he looked, he saw that his hand was stained crimson with his own blood. A drop fell off his hands and onto to the ground. Seth's expression went from one of pain to one of horror as he realized that the bullet had indeed stuck in his shoulder. This all happened in a matter of five seconds. A gruff voice snapped Seth out of his stupor.

"This time I'll make sure to hit the dick and the fucking slut!" the man said as he raised his gun once again. "NOW DIE MOTHERFUCKERS!" he shouted. Right as the man was pulling the trigger, the gun froze. "What the hell?" the man said.

Seth looked up and realized that Lacy had used Ice Beam in order to stop the man. "Thanks…Lacy….," Seth wheezed.

After recovering from his shock, the man who held the gun slammed it down onto the distracted Froslass' head. Of course, it went right through her, but ended up hitting Kirlia.

"Lia! Kir! Kirlia!" the small Pokémon wailed as tears began flowing fast and free.

When Seth saw the Kirlia crying in his arm, he suddenly recalled a memory from many years ago, when he and his siblings were still in elementary school

-Flashback-

_A small girl was on the ground balling her eyes out. Standing above her was a terrifying presence. Billy, the school bully, sneered at her pain. "That's right you pathetic weakling! Cry! Cry like the girl you are!" he shouted, laughing. _

_This only caused the tears cascading down her face to fall faster and harder. However, two familiar voices came from behind her._

"_Why don't you go play with your Barbie dolls for a while, and stop picking on our little sister," said a much younger Seth, his voice commanding instant obedience._

_Billy merely laughed at the small boys who thought they could take him. "I'll leave her alone when you two can tie my hands behind my back!" Billy said, laughing at his own lame challenge._

"_Fine," said a calm voice, the one of Seth's younger brother, Daron. Daron rarely spoke all throughout his childhood, even in the present, only add depression into the mix._

_For once, Billy looked genuinely scared, it was once in a blue moon when Daron spoke, and when he did, he meant business._

_The two brothers closed in on the bully, each with his own look of determination and anger. Suddenly, the duo lunged at Billy. Seth yanked his hair and aimed a punch directly in the bully's face, crushing in his nose. Daron grabbed some escape rope, chuckling slightly at the fact that the use of the rope would be used to prevent escape instead of aiding it. As Seth finished his artwork of Billy's face, Daron moved in and tied his hands together. Ignoring many cusses, empty threats, and overall begging, the duo finished with Billy; leaving him tied to a tree._

"_I will freaking kill you, when I get out of here!" Billy shouted at the two boys. However, the bully soon realized his mistake as Officer Jenny walked up with a very large Arcanine behind her._

"_I think that will be enough," said Officer Jenny, putting Billy in handcuffs, and putting him in her car, and finally driving off to the station._

_Seth and Daron then raced over to their sister, Sarah, who still sat where the Bully had originally pushed her down. A look of happiness rested upon her young face. Both brothers placed comforting hands on their sister's shoulder. No words were spoken, but the three of them could sense that they were there for each other._

-End Flashback-

After recalling that memory, Seth looked at the crying Kirlia in his arms, and remembered his sister, and how he had protected her. 'I will not be weak!' His voice shouted through his head. Surprising everyone, Seth stood up without so much as twitching. He then turned to the man who had struck Kirlia, a look of sheer rage rested inside normally soft, deep brown eyes. "You will never touch her ever again!" Seth shouted. Every eye was on him.

Seth then handed Kirlia to Lacy, who took her curiously. Seth then made a move no one expected, he attacked.

Fists flew as Seth landed blow after blow on the man who dared hurt such an innocent creature. The man merely took them as he recovered from the amazement that a man who had just been shot could be this strong. However, once he got over it, the man started fighting back. His fists and feet began to fly to counter each of Seth's.

The man then got tired of this style, so he pulled out three Pokeballs. "Get your asses out here!" the man shouted as a Gengar, Machamp and Garchomp appeared all screeching their names. They took a stance behind their master ready to attack Seth once given the privilege. The man smirked as he felt sure of victory. "What are you going to do now?" asked the man smugly.

Seth merely smiled at the man's mediocre mistake. "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do you ask? I'll show what I am!" Seth shouted. "Now!" he began, "Mia, Ice beam on Garchomp! Fiore, Extrasensory on Machamp! Ignis and Shock, dual punches on Gengar!" One cue, each of Seth's Pokémon launched their attacks. Mia's Ice beam froze Garchomp on spot. Fiore's Extrasensory sent a very surprised Machamp flying. Finally, the combination of fire punch and thunder punch knocked out the Gengar.

The man stared at his downed Pokémon, a stunned look on his face. He tried to speak but his tongue seemed to betray him. Once again, without warning, Seth launched a flurry of attacks at the man while he was distracted. Finally, Seth cracked a perfect uppercut straight into the man's jaw. This caused the man to fall flat on his ass.

Finally shocked into speaking the man said, "Just…give…me….my goddamn…whore back!"

The words struck Seth like a ton of bricks as he resisted the urges to beat the worthless piece of shit into a pathetic pulp. Something then glinted in the corner of Seth's eye. He looked over and saw Kirlia's Pokeball. Walking over, Seth kept a sharp eye on the downed man. As he picked it up Seth grinned like a maniac. Seth once again walked back over to the man and set the Pokeball on the ground.

"She is no longer yours!" Seth shouted. With that, he slammed his foot down on the ball, releasing Kirlia. All was silent. It was rare for a Pokémon to be released in such a way. When they were released normally, it was usually an anticlimactic event with the Pokémon usually just running off into the wild. However, this time a glowing white light glowed around Kirlia as she was lifted into the air out of Lacy's arms. Suddenly the light turned so harsh that everyone had to look away. When the light subsided Kirlia was still there but she seemed different. She seemed calmer, happier, and overall healthier. 'Releasing her healed her' Seth thought, realizing what had just happened.

"ARCEUS DAMN YOU ALL!" shouted the man at the top of his lungs. With that statement he recalled his Pokémon and ran off as best as he could, leaving both Kirlia and his shotgun.

Seth watched the man limp off with a triumphant smile on his face. Seth then collapsed. His adrenaline was gone and during the course of the fight Seth's wound had bled heavily. His entire right side was soaked with his own blood.

"Lia!" shouted a small voice. Kirlia came racing over to Seth as he just laid there unable to move. "Kirlia! Lia Kir! KIRLIA!" the young Pokémon shouted hoping to draw the attention of some passerby. All the while Seth's other Pokémon gathered around him. Mia let out a long, mournful wail. Fiore and Lacy began embracing and crying into each other's shoulders. Ignis was attempting to act tough and simply crossed his arms, but anyone could see the pain in his eyes. Shock just stood there with his mouth closed, fighting back tears. All of the Pokemon feared for their master and friend's life.

Seth suddenly let out a small chuckle. "I'm not dead yet guys. Calm down," Seth said his warm smile comforting everyone. Out of nowhere a voice rang out.

"Alakazam! They're over here!" A small girl around the age of eleven came out of the trees, an Alakazam teleporting next to her. "OH MY ARCEUS!" the young girl shouted racing over to examine Seth's wound. She gently touched around the wound causing blood to leak out and Seth to wince in pain. "Sorry," the girl said apologetically. She continued while Kirlia watched her with great suspicion.

"We've gotta get you to a hospital now!" the girl exclaimed looking at her Alakazam. "Alakazam how many can you teleport at once?" The Alakazam held up four fingers. The girl nodded, "You, me, this man, and one of his Pokémon."

Out of nowhere Seth cried out in pain. The wound was rapidly getting worse, now a disgusting yellow puss was leaking out of it, then more blood. Seth had already lost a lot of blood, but that little bit was just enough to cause him to pass out. Right before he passed out though, he saw a girl and her Alakazam getting ready to teleport, and Kirlia jumping on at the last moment.

A/N: This chapter's a little shorter than the first but I liked where it stopped. Also you'll find out what the mysterious Mark is next chapter which will be uploaded, whenever I feel finish it.


	3. In The Hospital

"Text"- Speaking out loud

"**Text"**- Speaking through telepathy

"_Text"_- Thoughts

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OC'S. SAME GOES FOR CHAPTERS 1&2 I JUST FORGOT TO PUT IT.**

5 hours later

Seth was standing in an open field. Nothing around him seemed to be moving, no wind was blowing. As he looked around, Seth began to think that he had heard whispering. It was faint at first, as if someone tried to whisper into someone's ear. Gradually, it got louder and louder. Soon, it became a harsh, raspy voice. Seth had begun to sweat as the voice surrounded him. He tried to cover his ears but the voice had ingrained itself in Seth's mind. To make things worse, Seth had no idea what the voice was saying. All it sounded like was a raspy voice speaking random gibberish. The voice was continually getting louder until it was screeching. Seth was on the barren ground, crying, curled up in a fetal position, eyes squeezed shut.

Suddenly, Seth had a profound urge to open his eyes. Standing in front of him was a shadowy figure, one long trail of white hair coming out of its unseen head. The hair was parted as to allow only one cold blue eye to stare at Seth. Seth shuddered as he remembered the cold stare of the man who had tried to kill him. The creature than reached down and touched Seth's forehead. Seth felt like his body was being pulled into the place on his forehead where the mysterious creature touched. However, the feeling soon faded.

The creature removed the hand, and moved back to allow Seth to stand up. He shakily got to his feet, never taking his eyes off of the dark creature. Finally mustering the courage to speak Seth asked, "Who and what are you?"

"I am, who I am, such as you are who you are," the creature spoke solemnly

"What the hell does that mean?"

The creature shook his head as if he had shared a private joke with himself. "I am a being of night, a being mistaken for evil, a being that shall soon be intertwined with your future, a being known in your world as _Darkrai." _Darkrai's name was not only spoken aloud, but was echoing in Seth's mind.

"Wait," Seth said, "don't you cause nightmares or something like that?"

Darkrai nodded, "Yes but usually it is unintentional. This time however, I have purposely entered your mind to give you a message." Darkrai stopped staring at Seth.

"Well? Get on with it!" Seth urged eagerly, desperate to know why this Pokémon could want anything to do with him.

Darkrai seemed to sigh, "Such impatience. I should just refuse to give you the information."

"No! Please! I'm sorry!"

"Fine! I shall tell you this for your own good! Plus, Cresselia gets after me when I do that, and ever since she learned Focus Blast, ugh." Darkrai shuddered recollecting past pain. "Anyway, I digress. You remember the Kirlia that you saved?"

"Of course," Seth replied.

"She is going to play a larger part in your life than you realize," Darkrai said ominously.

Seth thought about the cute little Pokémon that was probably worried sick about him. He had just met her, and intended to release her back, but now, he didn't know what he would do. "Wait, how do you know all of this?" Seth asked.

"I do not know, I just cannot help but feel this way."

"Well that's helpful," Seth muttered, holding back a curse. "Ok, next question, how do I get out of here?"

"You will wake up when I leave, which is now." Darkrai turned and headed to the edge of the field where there was now a black void. "One last thing human, do not reject a gift of pain that will soon come to you." With that, Darkrai floated into the void and it closed behind him.

'Well that was interesting' Seth thought. 'Now, how do I GAH!' The thought was never finished, because Seth had begun to fall into whiteness. He looked to his left and right seeing nothing but white, but when he looked up he saw the field floating above him. Finally, when he looked down, Seth saw a patch of dirt. Right as he was about to scream, he landed on it.

Seth screamed and shot up in his bed. 'A bed?' Seth thought. Looking around he saw many machines and computers, each spewing out its own chart or graph. Seth also saw a young blonde girl, asleep in one of the chairs. She was a cute little girl. She wore a purple and pink striped tank top and bright pink shorts that came down to her knees. Her hair was not too long, only down to her shoulders. Glancing downward he saw a Kirlia looking sitting on his lap and looking at him with concern in her eyes.

"Lia?" she asked, standing up.

Seth just looked down and smiled at the young Kirlia. "I'm alright, little one; just had a bad dream is all." Seth flashed his famous warm smile that instantly soothed the Kirlia's mind. Seth then reached forward to embrace her, but instead felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. Looking over, he saw that his shoulder was wrapped up in bandages that had a light shade of red to them.

The events that happed a few hours prior came racing back to Seth. The morning sun, the scared Kirlia, the fight, and the girl. Seth looked over and saw the girl starting to stir from the previous commotion. When she opened her eyes Seth was startled to discover that they were not an average color. Instead of being brown, blue, or green, hers were a bright purple! The young girl saw Seth's face and smiled, revealing bright white teeth.

"Hello there sleepyhead!" the girl stated enthusiastically.

"Huh? Are you talking to me?" Seth asked still staring at her eyes.

The girl giggled, "Yep! By the way my name is Brandy."

"Oh, okay,"

"Heh, you're looking at my eyes aren't you?"

Seth just nodded.

Brandy giggled once more and replied, "I get that a lot, but it's just the way my eyes are."

Seth shrugged, "Oh well. By the way why did you save me?"

Brandy gave him an incredulous look. "You were bleeding and dying! Why wouldn't I help you?" Seth thought about this for a moment, but his thoughts were interrupted by Brandy saying, "Besides, what kind a gym leader would I be without stopping to help a person?"

Seth was confused. "What Gym leader are you exactly?"

"Sixth, the psychic gym." Replied Brandy proudly.

"Isn't Jake the gym leader there?" asked Seth, a little worry was creeping into his voice.

Brandy looked at the floor, suddenly very interested in her shoes. After a few minutes Brandy took a deep breath and said, "Jake is dead. A freak dark pulse from a Gengar bounced off of his Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat and hit him." Brandy looked as if her face were glass, and it would shatter at any moment.

Seth's heart had dropped into his stomach. Jake was one of his best friends, they had grown up together. "No, that can't be, I just talked to him last week!" Seth shouted.

Brandy started to shrink, "It only happened two days ago. I was in the forest trying to find you in order to tell you." Tears had formed on the brink of her eyes, when finally one escaped.

Seth was shuddering with both anger and sadness. His breathing was ragged, and he was on the edge of tears. Suddenly he found himself in a warm, comforting embrace. Seth glanced down to see Kirlia hugging him tightly, her arms wrapped around his neck. Seth reached around with his left arm, and returned the embrace, still fighting tears. Kirlia cradled her head on Seth's exposed chest. 'Wow,' Seth thought, 'she's only just met me and yet she is already hugging me.' The image of Darkrai flashed before Seth's eyes and his message replayed itself in Seth's mind.

A ring broke through the silence. Brandy blushed furiously as she fumbled with her Pokegear and finally stepped outside to answer it. Two minutes later, she walked back in and looked at Seth, "I have to go… gym business… yeah…" With that, she brought out Alakazam and teleported away.

Seth was left, still hugging, Kirlia. After a few minutes they broke the embrace, with Seth feeling much better. He looked down at Kirlia and smiled, his deep brown eyes smiling as well. "So, what's up?" Seth asked awkwardly.

Kirlia giggled, sensing Seth's embarrassment. "Kirlia!" she exclaimed. She tried to jump over to a chair, using her psychic powers to help, but got halfway and then crashed to the floor. Seth immediately got out of bed, and ran over to her. He knelt down while Kirlia rubbed the back of her head. She looked around trying to figure out what happened, when she remembered the collar around her neck.

"Lia! Lia!" she said, pointing to the collar. Seth looked at the collar; it was solid black, with chrome spikes poking out of it. On the back of it there was a device that Seth knew all too well. A psychic jammer, Jake had told him about them once. They apparently completely block any psychic power.

"Hold on little one, I'll get this off." Seth said soothingly. He quickly undid the strap that held it onto Kirlia's neck. Once it was off, Seth was bombarded with tons of emotions. He felt happiness, relief, admiration, gratitude, and, surprisingly, regret. Seth realized that the emotions he was feeling were not his, they were Kirlia's, but why was she feeling doubt? "Why are you feeling regret?" Seth asked calmly.

"**Because, that was my old master's collar." **A voice said into Seth's head.

"Whoa! Was that you?" Seth asked Kirlia.

Kirlia giggled a little and said, **"Yep! I can talk to you through telepathy!"**

Seth smiled and replied, "That's pretty cool. Can you read my mind?"

"**Maybe…" she said playfully. "Ok no, not until I'm a Gardevoir at least."**

They both broke into a small fit of laughter. Nurse Joy then walked in. "Oh, good to see that you're awake and feeling better Mr. Tenebrae." She said with that trademark smile.

Seth picked up Kirlia and replied, "Yep, just a little sore."

"That's good." Joy said rifling through some papers. "Are you going to adopt this Kirlia here? It says in your reports that you she is not yours."

Seth's smile faded, he hated it when people referred to Pokémon as "theirs" it made them seem as if they were property. "I don't know," Seth said looking at Kirlia, "It depends on what she says"

"**Of course I want to come with you!" **Kirlia practically screamed in Seth's head.

"That would be a yes Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy smiled widened, "That is excellent, and we might want to get you a shirt."

Seth glanced at his torso, which was partly covered by the bandages. He smirked and said, "You're probably right." Nurse Joy led him to a back room where she opened a closet revealing solid color t-shirts with colors ranging from pink to black. Seth instantly reached out and grabbed a black one, putting Kirlia down so he could put the shirt on. "Perfect fit!" he laughed. "So, how long do I have to stay here?" Seth asked.

"You can leave now if you'd like," Nurse Joy responded.

Seth looked at her with confusion. "I just got shot in the shoulder and you say I can leave now?"

"Yes, that's correct. The bullet didn't enter too deep; it was just that whoever did this hit a vein, which is why it bled so heavily." Nurse Joy explained, "We just had to stop the bleeding and spray some disinfectant on the wound. However, do stop by a Pokémon center when you get the chance, just for a check-up.

After a few minutes of explaining, Seth had gathered his things and headed out of the door. Seth took a look around his surroundings. He knew exactly where he was. He was in Incendio. The town was famous for its spicy food. All around him were small buildings with thatch roofs. A small chimney poked out from each roof. 'Always has reminded me of a beach resort' Seth thought. Seth took a deep breath in, the smell of various spices and smoke entered his nose. Though smoke was a usually unpleasant smell to Seth, this was different; it brought back memories of his mom's tacos. The thought of his mom sent a ripple of pain through Seth.

Kirlia, who was on Seth's shoulder, instantly felt the pain. **"What's wrong Master?" **Just before Seth had left, he had filled out the required papers to adopt Kirlia. He had taken out a Luxury Ball and "caught" her. He soon found out that she didn't like to be in there.

"Oh nothing," he said, "Just remembering some painful memories"

"**What are they about?" **Kirlia inquired with a lot of concern in her voice.

"My mother," Seth forced out. "I will tell you about her later, right now; we need to get going back to the camp."

Seth began heading off to the north of the city when Kirlia asked, **"Umm, Master?"**

"What is it Kirlia? And don't call me "master", I hate that. Just call me Seth."

"**Oh. Okay! Anyway, can I maybe…you know… have a name… please?" **The words were barely a squeak in Seth's head.

"Of course you can!" Seth exclaimed. After thinking for a few moments, Seth snapped his fingers. "How about Grace?" he asked

"**I love it! Thank you so much!" **Grace said smiling, and giving Seth a big hug.

'Wow she sure is sweet. I know we'll be good friends.' Seth thought. 'Only one thing. She was the victim of abuse not even a day ago; shouldn't she be a little more distraught and untrusting?'

Seth suddenly realized that he had been walking with no idea where he was. He looked around and saw the remnants of a camp. A few tattered scraps of a tent lay around the area, and holes revealed where it was pitched. A few black sticks were all that remained from a campfire. "Damn!" Seth cursed, "We're lost!" Out of nowhere Grace went rigid and then started crying uncontrollably, tears cascading down her face. Seth reached up and quickly pulled her close to his chest. "What's wrong? We can find our way out." Seth soothed in a reassuring tone.

"**It's not that!" **Grace screamed into Seth's head. **"This was my old master's campsite! You brought me back here to give me back to him!"**

Seth could not believe what he was hearing. He pulled Grace closer to his chest, wincing slightly at the discomfort in his shoulder. He then whispered softly, "I will never abandon you, Grace."

This stopped Grace's crying and she looked up at Seth with big eyes. **"B…b…but my old master said that all humans hated us Pokémon and we were only tools. I thought that I wasn't a good enough tool for you."**

Seth looked into Grace's big red eyes and smiled. "Your old master was a horrible person; unfortunately there are people in the world like that. I see Pokémon as my friends and partners rather than simple Pokémon.

Grace smiled, a single tear of happiness falling from her eyes. She then looked down and cuddled closer to Seth's chest, listening to his heartbeat. _Thump Thump. Thump Thump. _Then, out of nowhere she removed herself from the embrace, and placed a hand on Seth's arm. Seth looked down, confused as to what she was doing. Grace started mumbling something in Pokespeak. Suddenly Seth felt as if his whole arm was on fire. Grace was now glowing with a brilliant blue light surrounding her. Seth's arm was glowing with a similar light, only his was white. The two colors collided and danced with each other. The beauty of it was a breathtaking sight, as if two dancers who knew each other's every move as it were their own.

However, Seth was too busy screaming his head off to notice any of this. The pain in his arm was as if someone had shoved his arm into molten lava, blasted it with flamethrower, then topped it all off with pressing it against a Magmortar. He then heard Grace's voice in his mind; though it spoke as it three Graces were speaking. **"If you wish to stop merely touch your left hand to your arm."**

Seth was about to reach up and touch his arm when he remembered something that Darkrai had said only a few hours before. _'Do not reject the gift of pain that is to come to you human!'_

Instead of backing down, Seth just gritted his teeth so hard that they too began to hurt. As soon as it began, though, it was over. The lights retreated, the pain subsided, and Grace floated back to Seth. Seth, who was sweating profusely, reached out and grabbed her with his left arm. He pulled her in close once again and looked at his arm. His arm looked normal, except for what looked two thin black bands wrapped around his arm. They were about three inches away from each other and situated on his bicep. In between the lines there were flowing ribbons that crisscrossed each other. In the center of the design was a circle with a "G" written in fancy writing.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but it was the only way I could Mark you," Grace stated, speaking perfect English.

Seth looked at her shocked to hear her speak out loud, after all he had just found out he could speak to her telepathically a few hours ago. "Whoa, since when could you speak English?" Seth asked.

"Well since I Marked you, you can now understand me and any Ralts, Kirlia, Gardevoir, or Gallade!" Grace beamed.

"Okay what is the whole "Marked" thing?"

"Well it's really complicated but I will make things simpler," Grace started. "When a Kirlia, Gardevoir, or Gallade feels such complete trust with someone, then they have to power to Mark them. The Mark basically makes you an honorary Gallade!" Grace had to stop to giggle a little bit. After she composed herself she continued, "Anyway, the Mark also has some other benefits. Show it to any of the Ralts family, and they will instantly trust you, and, the fun part, you will have some psychic abilities!"

Seth was shocked. He had just met this Kirlia this morning, and she had complete trust in him? "How do you feel some much trust with me," Seth blurted out his thought.

Grace shrugged, "I can't explain it I just feel like I don't have anything to fear from you, and that…" she trailed off, blushing. "I feel like I can feel anything around you."

'What the hell is she talking about?' Seth thought. Soon he felt something weird. He could instantly tell that the feeling was not his. He thought about it for a few seconds before realizing it as arousal. "Grace, are you going into heat?"

A/N: Before any of you get any thoughts in your heads they're not going to that. That doesn't happen until later. Haven't updated it in a little, school and stuff, so I was kind of rushed while writing this.


	4. The Rest of the Gang

"Text"- Speaking out loud

"**Text"**- Speaking through telepathy

"_Text"_- Thoughts

[Text]- Translated Pokespeak

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OC'S.**

Grace nodded. She was so embarrassed, her body wasn't supposed to even be able to have a heat until she was a Gardevoir. Her old master did that to her, raping her tricked her body into thinking it was ready. Anger started to build inside her as she thought of all of the horrible things that he had done to her. The anger soon faded and was replaced with another emotion. Sadness.

Seth just hugged Grace tighter, feeling both her anger and her sadness. 'How could anyone have done this to her?' Seth wondered for the millionth time. Grace had started crying again and Seth's shirt was getting soaked. Pulling her up to eye level, Seth stated, "Don't worry I have something back at my camp for your heat."

"No!" Grace shouted. "My old master gave me medicine for it once, it tasted horrible, and I was sick for three days after that!"

Seth grimaced as he remembered that there was only one type of medicine that could completely remove the effects of heat. However, it did this at the cost of a horrible disease that ravaged the body, causing sores to appear, a fever to come on, and constant pain. Generally, no sane person would force it on their Pokémon. Seth knew another way though. It was a family recipe made of natural herbs. He never revealed it to the public because he knew someone would find a way to mass produce it cheaply and cause unneeded side effects.

"It's a different medicine, one my mother taught me how to make," Seth said, once again feeling the pain of his mother. "But first we have to find my camp." Seth stood up scratching his head.

"I can help with that," Grace said grasping Seth's hand.

Seth suddenly found himself surrounded in a blue light. Then he felt like a rope had been attached to his stomach and yanked upward. Wind flew past his ears and it seemed that he was moving impossibly fast. Then he found himself standing at his campsite.

"What the hell just happened?" Seth asked, a little dizzy from the experience.

Grace giggled, "I teleported you!"

"Give me a little warning next time!" Seth complained. Looking around, everything was just as he'd left it. Only one thing was missing. "Mia! Ignis! Shock! Lacy! Fiore! Where did you guys get to?" Seth called. Mia then burst from the water.

"Miiiii!" she called, quickly slivering over to Seth. She then jumped onto Seth and wrapped her whole body around him in a serpentine version of an Ursaring hug.

"Gah! Mia! I can't breathe!" Seth said as he attempted to get loose of Mia's death grip.

"Milotic," she murmured apologetically.

"She says she is very sorry," Grace translated.

Seth smiled, "No problem." He walked up to her and started rubbing her head. "Hey where is everyone?"

"[Looking for you]" Mia replied, purring slightly at Seth's hand. [I just stayed here in case you got back, and it's kind of hard to move on dry land] With that, she went back into the water.

"Alright thanks." Seth thought for a moment, then came up with an idea. "Food is ready!" he shouted.

[Woohoo! Foooooooood!] Came a very excited reply. Seth turned to see an extremely exited Infernape swinging through trees straight towards him! Ignis saw Seth and then ran up to him. [Master! Where the fuck have you been you had us fucking worried sick!] Ignis chastised.

"Well if you didn't notice, I kind of got shot, so I went to the hospital." Seth explained laughing.

Ignis' face dropped and he slapped his hand to his face. [I am a fucking idiot].

"Well, Ignis, I never realized that you had such a foul mouth." Seth observed.

Grace giggled and said, "It's going to be interesting translating for him."

Ignis looked disgraced. [Whatever, by the way, where's the food?]

Seth and Grace looked at each other and laughed. "There is none, I just said that because I knew that you would come." Seth said.

[Goddammit! I thought I wasn't gonna let myself fall for that same shitty trick] Ignis muttered, not thinking anyone heard him. He then walked over to a tree and sat down in a pouting manner.

Both Grace and Seth started to laugh until Grace felt a familiar sensation. The burning had receded slightly, and she had been distracted by the strange Infernape. Grace tugged on Seth's arm and said, "Seth, my heat, the medicine, now!" Her voice was getting more and more strained with each word.

Ignis looked up in shock. [How the hell are you going into heat? You're not a Gardevoir yet!] he asked.

Seth gave him a look that meant 'I'll tell you later.' He then walked over to his tent and started rummaging through his black backpack. Grace carefully lifted up the flap and took a look around. There wasn't much inside. There was a red sleeping bag that showed obvious signs of being used, a small battery powered lamp, and the backpack that Seth was looking through

"Here we go!" Seth stated, holding a small medicine vial. "This is my mother's secret recipe for dealing with heat. It's all natural herbs and berries, so there are no side effects!" he explained as he unscrewed the lid.

Gulping, Grace took the vial and looked into it surprised to see what looked like pecha juice. Taking a quick sniff, she was also surprised to find that it had no smell, most medicines smelled horrible. Finally, Grace took a tentative sip. Flavor exploded in her mouth, dancing across her taste buds. She tasted sweet pecha berries, spicy cheri, and the complete lum berry. Grace also tasted a little bitterness, but it blended so well with the others that she didn't care. Craving more, she put the vial to her lips once again and chugged the rest. After she finished, she felt like she was satisfied, but she also noticed that she did not burn between her legs. Grace sighed in relief.

Seth chuckled; Grace's reaction reminded him of Fiore's first time tasting it. 'She was bouncing off the walls for the rest of the day' he recalled. He then remembered that Shock, Lacy, and Fiore were still out looking for him. Grabbing a very happy Grace, Seth took off running outside to where Ignis was speaking with Mia.

"Shock! Fiore! Lacy!" Seth called. He heard grass rustling and saw three figures emerge, an Electivire, Roserade, and Froslass. Fiore and Lacy instantly ran up (or in Lacy's case floated) to Seth and he kneeled down to catch them in an embrace. Both of them had tears of happiness in their eyes. Shock walked over and clapped Seth on the back, very happy that he was safe.

[Master I was so worried that you'd never come back to us!] Lacy shouted.

[I was really scared Daddy!] Fiore said. Seth did a small double take. Had he heard her correctly or did she really just call him "daddy?"

"Fiore, did you just call me "Daddy?" Seth asked

[You can understand me?] Fiore practically shouted in surprise.

"Yes, but only with me translating," Grace answered smugly.

"Yes, Fiore, I can understand you" Seth said calmly.

[Yay! My daddy can understand me!] Fiore said dancing around, and earning a jealous look from Grace.

[Fiore, have some respect for our Master] came a solemn voice from behind. It was Shock who had spoken. [He may have hatched you, but he is still your Master, just as he is mine.]

Seth stood up, setting Lacy, who curiously had not spoken this entire time. He looked at his friends and announced, "For further notice, no one is to call me Master. I hate that, as it makes me feel like I own you, which I don't." Seth was speaking in a firm tone, signaling that everyone was to listen. "Finally," he started, but couldn't keep a straight face. Seth burst out into a smile and in a calm voice finished, "Just call me Seth." Everyone's face dropped in relief, then sprang right back up into a warm laughter.

A beeping caught Seth's attention. His phone was ringing inside his tent. Silencing everyone, Seth ran and picked up his cell. "Hello?" he said into the phone.

"SETH ANDREW TENBRAE!" shouted a feminine voice at the other end of the line. Seth groaned as he instantly knew who the voice belonged to, his sister, Sarah.

"Hey sis," Seth replied.

"How could you not tell your brother and me about you being shot?" she asked calming down a little bit.

"Honestly, I have no clue how, but in the span of ten hours I have found a Kirlia, beat up her original trainer, got shot, had an encounter with a legendary Pokémon, been released from the hospital, and got yelled at by you." Seth explained, still slightly confused as to what has happened.

The other end of the line was silent until Sarah spoke again, "Wow, I can't believe all that you went through. We will have a lot to talk about when you get back."

The line went silent once again, but Seth heard the phone rumbling around. "Sup bro?" asked a bored, monotone voice. 'Daron' Seth thought.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Seth asked.

"Same as always. Shitty." Daron replied. Ever since Daron was a child he was quiet, but he was always friendly and had a great sense of humor. That was up until he was seventeen, when an incident involving his mother left him a shell of his former self. Ever since then, he'd been dealing with depression. He never was moody or sad for that matter, he was emotionless, unfeeling, uncaring. The only thing that kept him from killing himself was Seth, Sarah, and his famous dark type Pokémon, which he adored painting. He always seemed a little more than emotionless when he was with his Pokémon, and more so when he was painting them. It was those paintings that made him famous in the art world, and how he became a professional artist.

"No suicidal thoughts in my fucked up head," continued Daron, "I guess that's a good sign."

"Alright, any particular reason you wanted to talk to me?" Seth asked, shaking his head slightly at Daron's uncaring attitude towards death.

"Just to make sure you didn't die before I did," Daron said.

Seth smiled, his brother may have had a sick sense of humor, but Seth was happy to see any humor from him. "Yea, I am fine, but I am coming home today. I want to make sure nothing else happens."

"Whatever," Daron said. Seth heard a voice behind Daron. "Sarah says bye and good luck."

"Okay I'll see you whenever," Seth finished, hanging up the phone. "Arceus, what am I going to do with that guy, he gets worse and worse every day," Seth said out loud.

Walking outside, Seth saw that all but two of his Pokémon were milling about. Grace was sitting on a stump with her legs hanging over the side, a look of uncertainty about her. As he walked over Seth felt fear and apprehension coming from Grace. Sitting down next to her, Seth asked, "What's wrong?"

Jumping slightly, Grace looked up at Seth, and climbed into his arms. "I don't like being out here alone," she said, her voice wavering slightly at the thought of something bad happening without Seth there to protect her. She cuddled deeper into Seth's chest, and tried to hold back tears.

Seth ran his hand through Grace's hair as he looked around for one more person. When he spotted her he called, "Lacy! Can you come over here?"

The Froslass was off by herself, sitting in the grass picking flowers, which was unusual for her since she was usually either with Fiore or Seth. Floating up from the ground, Lacy floated towards Seth. As she came towards him, Seth felt a feeling of jealousy from somewhere. He realized that Grace was the source. He chuckled to himself at Grace's random sense of jealousy.

[What do you want, Seth?] Asked Lacy in an exasperated tone.

"I want to ask a favor of you," Seth explained. "Grace says that she feels scared to be alone. Can you please stay with her when I'm not around? I know that you know what it's like to have to deal with past suffering."

Lacy thought about it for a second and replied [Okay! I will do it for you Seth!]

"Thanks Seth that makes me feel a little better," said Grace.

"No problem, and one more thing Lacy" Lacy turned and faced Seth, knowing what his next question was going to be. "Why were you all alone in the flowers over there? Usually you're with Fiore or I" asked Seth.

Lacy was silent for a few minutes. She then took a breath and said, [It's just that, you always treated Fiore and I equally, but after you realized that she referred to you as "Dad" I thought that you… would… not like me as much.] Seth raised a hand to interrupt, but Lacy was on a roll and she wanted to get this off of her chest. [I don't think that you will like me as much as the others. I mean, you have had Shock and Douche bag since you were ten.] Seth assumed that "Douche Bag" was Ignis. [You've had Mia for almost five years now, so the only one that was on an equal level with me was Fiore, but now you might start to treat her better. I feel selfish for thinking this was, but I just can't help it.] Her voice cracked as she attempted to hold back tears.

Grace was silent for the whole exchange, when she got out of Seth's arms and embraced Lacy. "I don't know Seth as well as you, but I think that you're overreacting a little bit."

Seth agreed. "Lacy, I may treat Fiore a little differently now, but there is now way in hell that I would ever treat any Pokémon better than others. You only are feeling like this because you don't think that you deserve it, but you do, you really do.

Lacy looked up at Seth, her eyes were misty, but she wore a smile on her face. [Do you really mean that Seth?] Seth nodded as she embraced him, accidentally sandwiching Grace in between them.

"Excuse me! Kirlia who can't breathe in here!" Grace gasped out. Laughing, Seth and Lacy let go of each other, and Seth stood up and stretched. Right as he was about to tell everyone it was time to go, his stomach growled. Seth looked at his watch; it was almost seven o clock at night! The whole being shot and released on the same day really had screwed with Seth's mental clock.

It appeared as if everyone was feeling hungry because they all started to gather around the fire, looking eagerly at Seth. Five minutes later Seth had prepared food for everyone except for Grace.

"Hmm. What kind of food did you eat Grace?"

"Whatever, I could find," Grace replied with distaste.

Scratching the back of his head, Seth scanned the surrounding area. Then he saw a pecha bush. He walked over and picked a few of them, holding them out for Grace to eat. She took them greedily and began eating.

Seth then walked over to his bag and pulled out a small can of beans, which he heated up and ate. The fire and food seemed to warm both body and mind, but it also made everyone very sleepy. Looking up, Seth saw that the sky had gone dark, and checking his watch confirmed that it was nearly eight o clock. He stood up, depositing an empty can into his bag, and picked up a very tired looking Roserade.

"Rade. Roserade. Rose," She said smiling. Seth chuckled at how she thought he could understand her without Grace. After he laid her down in the flowers, she was out. Seth looked at her and smiled, even though she was a Roserade, Fiore was actually quite young. She was only a year old, when she hatched the first person she saw was Seth, which probably explained why she thought of him as her Father. Within a week, Fiore evolved into a Roselia. Seth was very proud of that accomplishment; Budew only evolve with a lot of friendship and trust. After a few more months of traveling, Fiore had tripped over a Shiny stone and evolved once more into the cute little Roserade she was now.

"Seth," came a small voice. Seth turned around and saw Grace standing in front of them, with the rest of the Pokémon heading to their sleeping areas. "Where am I gonna sleep?"

Seth thought a moment and said, "Why don't you sleep in my tent tonight?"

Grace's eyes sparkled and asked "Do you really mean it?" Seth nodded. Grace ran up to him and leaped. Seth caught her but winced slightly, remembering the wound on his arm. "Sorry!" Grace quickly apologized, but Seth just laughed.

When they walked over to the tent, Seth sat outside, looked up, and sighed. Grace looked up and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"The stars," he responded, not taking his eyes off of the small twinkling lights.

Grace looked up and was amazed at the sight. Thousands of bright lights were in the sky, a sharp contrast to the inky blackness of the night sky. The moon shone through the stars like a beacon, sharing its light with the world. It also created a small circle of light around Seth and Grace.

"This was my mother's favorite thing to do with us," Seth stated, breaking the quiet.

-Flashback

"_Come on Daron, Sarah, don't be scared," said a reassuring voice. Seth's mother, Destiny. She was a beautiful woman, long jet black hair that went past her shoulders framed a small face with purple, almond shaped eyes. A small nose that curved up in a mischievous fashion was in the middle of her face, with soft lips that always found a way to form into a smile, which flashed bright white teeth._

_The group was hiking up a hill near their home, Daron and Sarah had never been before and they were a little scared of heights. Seth had been before being the oldest, so he ran ahead. After a few minutes of gentle coaxing, Destiny, Sarah, and Daron appeared on the cliff overlooking the vast sea. The waves crashed about fifty feet below onto the strong rocks. That wasn't the most appealing quality of the cliff though. When everyone looked up, they saw millions of stars, uninhibited by the blinding city lights. Destiny laughed at all of her children's shocked faces, even Seth, who had been there before._

-End Flashback-

"That was so pretty," Grace said.

Seth looked down and said, "I thought you couldn't read minds yet."

Grace looked him in the eyesand smiled saying, "The memory was so happy and vivid, I can't help but see it, The Mark I gave you helped a little. Your mom sure is a great woman."

Seth had been smiling but it faded, and all of the happiness he had been feeling was replaced with pain and regret. "_Was_ a great woman," Seth corrected, emphasizing the "was."

Grace picked up on the pain and finally got up the nerve to ask, "Seth what happened to your mother?"

Seth looked at Grace's big, red eyes, took a breath and said, "She was murdered." Grace was shocked at this statement, but was even more surprised by Seth's next statement

"By my father."

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to update, but school and writer's block is not a good combination. The chapter I feel is a little rushed, but I like it, especially the ending. Anyway, I forgot to make this clear, but whenever Grace translates, it is in real time inside Seth's mind, so Seth hears the others voices, but it's in his mind.


	5. Painful Memories

"Text"- Speaking out loud

"**Text"**- Speaking through telepathy

"_Text"_- Thoughts

[Text]- Translated Pokespeak

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS EXCEPT MY OC'S.**

Seth's whole body shuddered as past thoughts flooded in his head. The old memories brought back so much pain that Seth had told himself that he would never experience again.

"Seth-," Grace started, but Seth interrupted.

"Why did you do that?" Seth shouted anger lining every word.

"What?" Grace was shocked, Seth had never yelled at her before. "What did I-," Seth interrupted once again; Grace's eyes were beginning to tear up.

"Why did you bring back the fucking pain?" Seth yelled, his eyes, normally soft, now burned red with anger. "I tried to forget it and you brought it back! Why? What the hell did I do to deserve this pain! Get away from me! Now!" By that point, Seth was shaking with rage, and any trace of sadness was replaced with a boiling rage. Though it wasn't truly towards Grace, she was the closest living thing near him.

Grace now had tear streaming down her face like a miserable rain. Backing up slowly, she ran off towards the lake. Meanwhile, Seth watched her running and instantly felt horribly guilty about yelling at her. 'She did nothing wrong,' Seth thought, 'I had no right to do that.' Although Seth was a normally strong person, a few tears escaped his eyes. There used to be only one thing that could make him cry. Thinking about his mother too long. However, it seemed that there was now another reason to cry, though Seth did not know why he was so hurt about this. Hurting Grace.

Grace was too upset about Seth to notice his regret, she just kept running. Finally she got to the lake and with nowhere to go sat down and continued crying. "Why does he hate me?" Grace said out loud through sobs.

"He doesn't," replied a mysterious voice. It was soft, suave, and had a fluid quality. "It just upsets him greatly to talk about his mother."

"Huh? Who said that?" asked a now terrified Grace. Turning all around Grace continued to try to find the source of the voice.

"I probably should show myself shouldn't I?" said the voice. From the lake burst Mia, scales sparkling like only a Milotic's could. "Sorry. I forgot that others cannot see underwater," Mia said sheepishly.

Jumping slightly, Grace turned around, but was relieved to see that it was only Mia. "You scared me!" chastised Grace.

"Again, I am sorry, but there are more pressing matters at hand," replied Mia. "Seth does not hate you."

"Yes he does!" Grace wailed, tears starting to fall again. "He told me to leave! He probably never wants to see me again!"

Mia slithered over to Grace and wrapped around her with the full length of her body, a Milotic's version of a hug. "Calm down," she said in her calmest voice. "As I said before, Seth is very sensitive to any mention of his mother; she only passed away two years ago."

"What happened?" asked Grace, comforted by Mia.

"I don't know. All I know is that it was his father who committed the horrendous crime, and Seth has never stopped feeling regret for not being able to do anything to save his mother.

Grace was amazed how such a loving, caring person such as Seth could come from such a spawn of hell. Grace was snapped out her thoughts when Mia continued, "We've all been yelled at by Seth, even Fiore." Grace looked up, confused, and asked,

"How did he know when you were talking about his mother? I thought he could only just now understand you because of me."

"Again, I don't know, Seth has always been funny that way, he can tell what people and Pokémon are talking about, even if they're speaking another language. Of course, he doesn't understand exactly, he gets the gist of it."

"Wow," Grace said admirably. She looked over to Seth's tent and saw the flap slightly open. "He should close that, it gets cold at night, believe me."

Moving back to the water Mia replied, "I think he left that open for you." With a wink she dove into the water, barely making a ripple.

'Does he really still want me?' Grace thought, not realizing that she was unconsciously moving towards the tent. Grace's stomach tightened with nerves and she stopped in her tracks. As she stopped, Grace was hit with many emotions from Seth that were so vivid that she could even tell what they were caused by. She felt regret for yelling at her, a long to apologize, hope that Grace would forgive him, and pain from the memory of his mother.

As Grace walked in, she saw that one side of the tent was open, inviting her into it. Nervously she crawled in and pulled the warm cover over herself, although because of her size, Grace was couldn't fit very well. Still, Grace felt warm, a feeling she rarely had gotten with her old master, no not master, tormenter.

"Grace," said Seth. Grace gave a startled gasp when she heard Seth speak. His back had been to her, so Seth rolled over and embraced Grace. She looked up at him and saw his eyes becoming misty. "I'm sorry for yelling at you. I don't know what came over me." Grace looked at him and smiled, snuggling into his chest.

"I forgive you, Mia told me a lot."

Seth felt relieved and started to absentmindedly stroke his fingers through Grace's hair. He stopped and looked down when he heard Grace giggle.

Grace looked up at Seth and playfully whined, "I liked that. Don't stop!"

Smiling, Seth continued. The two held that position in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly, a bright light broke through the darkness of the night. The source was Seth's arm; the Mark that Grace had given him was glowing. Seth braced for any pain that might accompany the light, but none came. After a few seconds, the light died down, and Seth and Grace were left in the dark.

"What just happened?" Seth asked.

"I think the Mark is starting to take effect," Grace replied smiling.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, I think that the first stage is that you can now transfer memories!"

"Amazing," Seth said; there really was nothing else to say. After staring at his arm for a few minutes, Seth resumed stroking Grace's hair. She smiled at the attention and cuddled up on Seth's chest as he lied down.

After about an hour, Grace was sleeping peacefully with a small smile on her face. Seth looked at her and chuckled slightly. 'Wow, she is really cute,' he thought. 'Her smile reminds me so much of Mom's.' The last word was held in his thoughts. His mother was always a sensitive subject around him or his siblings. They had taken her death excruciatingly hard, for she had been the active one in their lives. She was the one who would take them to the park, pool, or to get ice cream, or…or… Seth's thoughts were interrupted by his sobs. 'Why would he do this to her,' Seth thought, 'Why would he take her life like she was just another worthless item he selling. What did Mom ever to you motherfucker?' Thoughts raged inside Seth's head as his mind battled within itself. Sadness and anger warred with each other over which got the top spot in Seth's mind, while happiness seemed to have faded from existence. Seth shook as he realized that the pain he was feeling was what Daron felt for his entire life.

Soon Seth felt another emotion, one of concern. Then, he felt something shaking him. Looking down Seth saw a face that brought him back to earth. Grace's face looked at him frightened that he would lash out. Instead, Seth looked at her and let more tears fall faster than anything anyone could imagine. Grace felt sadness so intense that she started to cry as well.

Finally Grace managed to choke out, "Were you thinking about your…well you know,"

Seth just nodded and a thought appeared in his head. Seth had kept his emotions with him ever since that fateful day. The only time he ever told anyone the story of what he saw was when he had told a cold, unfeeling jury, only interested in getting rid of Seth's father and business competition. Now though, Seth could not only tell his story, but show it. Once again a war broke out inside Seth. One side told Seth to show Grace everything, to relieve all pain on him by showing her. The other side told him not to show her, save her the pain that he had felt for such a long time.

Seth then felt two hands reach up and touch his face. Opening his eyes, which he hadn't realized that he'd closed, he saw two ruby eyes looking into his. They seemed to talk to Seth, they said that Grace would willingly accept any pain that he could give.

Nodding, Seth reached up and touched Grace's forehead as she touched his. Although he had never done this before, Seth somehow knew what to do. Suddenly, Seth felt as if he was rushing into Grace and Grace felt the same. After what seemed like an eternity, Seth and Grace found themselves standing in a white space. There was no color or sign of life anywhere, it was just white. Suddenly, like a giant movie theater, a flash of color appeared. The flash was in the shape of a square, one side of it was blood red, the other a deep navy blue.

Seth looked at Grace and asked, "What is that thing?"

Grace looked at the square and then back at Seth and said, "I think that it's your emotions."

Glancing at the square Seth realized that Grace was right. The red was clearly the angry side of Seth, brining up thoughts of death, torture, pain, starvation, and other terrible things. The blue was the sad side of Seth. This side brought with it thoughts of betrayal, loss, poverty. Where the two met in the middle there was a purple line that seemed to call to Seth. It wasn't angry, it wasn't sad, but it wasn't… anything. The purple seemed to call no thoughts, have no feeling, or spark any emotion within Seth.

Thoroughly confused both Seth and Grace stood motionless for a while until they saw figure walking towards them through the square. At first, the figure moved quickly getting closer to the two of them. Judging by its silhouette, Seth determined that the figure was a man, about Seth's age. Moving over, Seth grabbed Grace and pulled her close. Both of their eyes were transfixed on this strange man walking toward them Out of nowhere, the whiteness of the place seemed to dim, revealing every feature about the man, from his short blonde hair, medium height and build, handsome face that held two smiling, violet eyes. He wore a blue sweatshirt over a white t- shirt, khaki shorts that came passed his knees adorned his legs. Seth couldn't believe his eyes at who was standing before him.

"Hey Seth," said the man in a kind voice.

All Seth could do was stare at the man in front of him and murmur, "H-h- hey Jake." Seth thought that he had to have been going crazy. Jake was supposed to be dead!

"Aren't you dead?" asked Grace with the innocence of a child.

Jake laughed and said, "I am dead, but my spirit lives." Both Seth and Grace shared a confused look. Jake sighed, the once joyous look on his face turning deadly serious. "I guess I should explain myself." Taking a breath Jake explained, "Right now my body is dead, but my spirit, for some reason has been preserved and linked to you, Seth. This had all been explained by Darkrai, by the way. I'm not sure why I was linked to you, but all I can tell you right now is to watch the Mark on your arm."

Finally working up the nerve to speak Seth asked, "Why do I have to watch it? And how did you get in here? And what is here?"

Deciding to tackle the questions in reverse order Jake responded, "Here is a neutral place in your mind. No thought occurs here, only emotion. That's that big square over there. Second, I arrived here because when you prepared to share the memory with the Kirlia, there was an open gate for me to enter this plane in your mind and come here with you. Finally, I cannot say exactly why you should watch it at this point, but I can say the dark pulse that killed me was no misfire; the Sableye that fired it was planning it to bounce off Wobbly."

Seth's head hurt. All of this was too much to take in. 'How can I be in my mind? What is Jake's part in this? What the hell did I drink last night?' After a few minutes of silence Seth spoke, "Why did the Sableye aim for you?"

Pulling up his sleeve, Jake revealed a mark, no doubt given by his Gallade that looked exactly like Seth's. Suddenly, the white area flickered and then became extremely bright. "I can't stay here any longer!" Jake shouted. "When this all ends you will see the memory that you were going to show to your Kirlia. Also, Kirlia, what he is about to show you is horrible; make sure to brace yourself." With that, the white light flickered once more and Seth and Grace were standing inside Seth's bedroom. The walls were painted blue with a gold and white trim on the outside. Pictures of dark types were on the walls. The bed comforter was a deep red that contrasted with the white carpet floor. It was pushed up against a wall opposite one where a giant flat screen TV was hung on the wall. The wall to the right of the bed was dominated by a huge window with a great view and bookcases lined up on each side of it. The wall to the left had a desk with an expensive looking laptop on it and a dresser. Sitting on the bed was a nineteen year old version of Seth. He looked very similar to how he did now, except he looked less experienced and his hair was cut short

He was reading a book to a Froslass settled in between his legs. "Fight your empires! Don't defend your vampires! Careful not to go too far!" the younger Seth read. The older Seth recognized the book as Left of Center by Serj Tanki. He remembered the scene because he was almost done helping Lacy recover.

Suddenly the young Seth heard two screams, one a girl's, the other a boy's. He heard what sounded like struggling as two people kicked and were dragged. Grabbing the door handle with Lacy floating behind him, the younger Seth yanked open the door to see his father dragging both Daron and Sarah down the hallway to his mother's room. His Alakazam helping to keep them restrained with his psychic powers. Daron and Sarah looked at Seth with desperation in their eyes, a desperate cry for help. Seth ran toward his father, but suddenly felt stuck by Alakazam's power. Lacy tried to help but was struck down by Alakazam's hypnosis.

By Alakazam's power all three of them were dragged into their mother's room. Inside, on the king size bed, was his mother spread out with her mouth gagged and her wrists and ankles held to the bed with ropes that looked like they were cutting into her delicate skin. The children were horrified as anything. Seeing their mother so helpless spread the feeling to them. They could do nothing to stop their bear of a father whose name Seth attempted to forget, but never could, it was Mali or "evil one" in English. Destiny started to struggle as she caught on to her husband's plan of forcing her precious children to watch him kill her.

Mali looked over and laughed a sinister, evil laugh, one that could only come from a heart as black as ink. He looked similar to Seth and Daron in his build. His face was dark with black eyes that cut through any tough man's persona. Overall, he looked like a typical gangster in a business suit.

"Children," he said in a suave voice, the kind used to persuade anyone to do anything. "I want you to enjoy the show, and I want you to see what happens when you think that you can leave those more powerful than you." With Alakazam holding them in place, Mali turned and ripped off the dress that Destiny was wearing. Removing the gag, he said, "I hope you enjoy what we haven't done in too many years." Smiling, he ripped out his dick and instantly rammed it into her. Destiny screamed after not having sex for many years. Seth, Sarah, and Daron all attempted to look away, but found they were unable to do so.

Destiny screamed once more as Mali ruthlessly pounded her, relishing in her pain, and enjoying how tight her pussy was. Suddenly, a pleasant sound filled the air. Both the older and younger Seth realized what it was. Destiny had stopped screaming and was singing an old lullaby that they all knew. Her voice was heavenly sounding as beautiful as an angel's.

Destiny sang,

"Quiet, don't cry.

Feel the fire inside.

Welcome to my arms

Love and peace be with you

Love and peace be with you"

For a few more minutes Destiny repeated the same line over and over. The line stuck in Seth's mind for the next two years. After coming down from an orgasm, Mali realized that his little bitch was no longer screaming, so, smiling; he walked around and picked up an axe. Walking over, with Destiny still singing, he held up the axe and right before he swung Sarah screamed out, "DADDY NO!"

That did not stop him, and Mali came down with a huge swing of the axe. Silence as Destiny's arm fell off and blood sprayed all over the window, staining the carpet. Destiny slowly turned her head, and then pain took over causing her to scream her lungs out.

Relishing in her pain, Mali moved on to each of her legs, chopping them off one by one. Each time, he solicited a louder and louder scream. The scream pierced Seth's ears, being the one sound that would haunt him for the next few years. He had spent many a sleepless night just hearing the scream over and over in his head.

Grinning like the madman he was, Mali moved to the final arm, the one facing the children. With a yell, he heaved and blood splattered all over, it hit the wall, the carpet, Alakazam, and… the children. The three of them shuddered, clothed in their own mother's blood, it was a sickening feeling. The liquid running down their bodies freely as water, when it should have been contained within her body. Seeing her children like that brought Destiny back to her senses and scream once more, but this time it was not in anger, but in rage.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKING, SON OF A BITCH, MANWHORE. YOU FUCKING, COCKSUCKING, DICKHEAD!" Her shouting caused Lacy to wake up, and phase through the door, awestruck at what she saw. Blood was everywhere, a woman with her limbs chopped off was screaming profanities, and her savior and his siblings were covered in what had to be blood. A man was standing triumphantly over the woman's body.

Seth managed to turn his head towards Lacy and mouthed the word "help!"

Lacy got the message and instantly fired a shadow ball at Alakazam, who was knocked out at once, because he did not see it coming. She then fired ice beam at the large man who was holding the axe.

"What the hell!" he screamed. Turning, he saw his son's Froslass bitch attempting to freeze him, it was slow going though. Taking what little time he had, Mali quickly moved forward and in one quick moment, severed Destiny's head.

The three children screamed as their mother's head rolled off the bed and right in front of them, it was still smiling.

Suddenly, the memory faded, and Seth and Grace found themselves inside Seth's tent, with their hands on each other's foreheads. Grace looked up at Seth with tear-filled eyes and buried her head in his chest. For the first time, she truly felt pain. Seth looked at Grace, with her head buried in his chest. Leaning down, he whispered, "I'm sorry." With that he kissed her on her head and then they both fell into a restless sleep.

A/N: Wow glad that chapter is done. I hated writing that violent part. Overall I think the chapter is good, it definitely leaves many unanswered questions. Also, the next chapter will have Seth finally leaving the damn forest and more story line will get started. Finally, the story that Seth was reading is just the song "Left of Center" by Serj Tankian. I just happened to be listening to it at the time.


	6. Gardevoir

"Text"- Speaking

"_Text"- _Flashbacks/Major thoughts

'Text'- Character thoughts

"**Text"- Telepathy**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON. **

The sound of many different bird Pokémon echoed through the forest as Seth and Grace woke with a start. Seth and Grace had fallen asleep with Grace on top of Seth's chest. Looking at each other the two instantly recalled the crazy day they had yesterday. From being shot to pulling a memory that Seth had done his best to forget.

With a wordless exchange the two of them agreed to not talk about yesterday, it was just too painful. The duo then proceeded to exit the tent where they saw five Pokémon with packs next to them, seemingly waiting for someone. The sun was shining brilliantly as if a stark contradiction of the day prior. The water glistened as it always did, the numerous fish Pokémon swimming happily, but making sure to avoid Mia.

[You two have a nice night?] snickered Ignis, which caused him to receive a smack on the back of the head from Shock, who then re-crossed his arms.

Seth and Grace blushed, though Grace seemed to have a deeper one. For a few minutes there was an awkward silence, and then Shock broke it. [Well, Master, we should be on our way. Oh, I am sorry I meant to say Seth. Now then, where are our balls?]

Seth smiled; he knew that even though Shock loved to brawl, he was always quiet and respectful. Seth then walked over to his backpack and pulled out five… no six Luxury Balls. One by one, Seth called each of his Pokémon back into their balls. Although he usually let them roam free, Seth had to keep his Pokémon in their balls when they traveled, for convenience sake.

When Seth got to Grace, he stopped. Grace was emitting a massive amount of fear. Squatting down to Grace's eye level and asked, "What's the matter?"

"I… I … I really don't like the Pokeballs. I am a little claustrophobic." Grace replied.

Smiling, Seth picked Grace up and she gasped. Seth's smile turned into a wide grin, he couldn't help it; something about being around Grace just made him smile. Seth then placed Grace on his shoulders so that she was straddling his head. "Sorry, I almost forgot. Is this better?"

Grace giggled and hugged Seth's head, covering his eyes in the process. "Yep, perfect."

Seth couldn't help but laugh and Grace was soon to join him. After a few minutes, the pair calmed down enough to get to work breaking down Seth's tent, and gathering the other's supplies. It was tougher than usual because Seth had to balance Grace on his head. Finally finished, Seth looked around at the campsite just to make sure that he did not miss anything. He noticed that a water bottle had been left over from last night's dinner and was lying on its side near the charred remains of the fire.

As a joke, Seth concentrated on the bottle and said, "Come to me bottle. I am using my mighty psychic powers on you!" Grace was laughing the whole time until something completely unexpected happened. The bottle flew into Seth's outstretched hand. When the bottle landed perfectly in his palm, Seth jumped in surprise. "What the hell?"

Grace was practically bursting with excitement, "You're powers are coming! The Mark took! It took!"

Seth took Grace off of his head, held her at eye level and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean it took?"

Grace looked down at the ground and sheepishly admitted, "Well, if the Mark didn't take, then your arm would have burned off."

Seth sighed, "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I didn't want you to reject it. A Mark is almost sacred in the Ralts line, a Kirlia, Gardevoir, or Gallade can only give it to one person in their lifetime, and if that person is in any way an evil person, than the Mark will take whatever body part it is placed on. If you knew that than you'd probably have so much doubt, I thought that you wouldn't take it." Grace explained, finishing with a great breath.

Questions swam in Seth's muddled mind, but one kept reappearing. "Why do you want me to have the Mark so badly?"

Grace looked into Seth's eyes and said, "I really don't know, I just feel like it's the right thing to do. Maybe I'm just really grateful that you saved me, which I am, but I honestly don't know why I want it.

Seth shook his head as if that would clear all the confusion. Though it didn't work Seth decided it would be best just to leave things alone, for now at least. Placing Grace back on his head, Seth looked over at his backpack that was sitting near the old campfire. Smiling, Seth held out his hand and concentrated on the backpack. An image appeared in his head of the backpack flying towards him. The backpack then glowed and obeyed Seth's mental command, flying in the air, landing gently in his hand.

Grace looked at him with wide eyes. "Wow, that Mark sure is powerful. I couldn't do that that easily until I became a Kirlia."

Seth shrugged and said, "Well that will make everything just a little bit easier in my life."

Grace giggled, "Alright then. Can we get out of this forest now? It feels like we've been here for like five chapters or something?"

Seth laughed, began walking down a slightly unused path, and replied, "Okay, okay, let's get going. We'll have to head on the path until we get to Incendio again. I'd better stop in by the Pokemon Center for a check-up while we're there. Then I can just call Gus and he'll drive us to my mansion just outside Creativita City; I'll introduce you to my sister and brother." On the mention of his brother, Seth felt a sense of disappointment.

Feeling this Grace asked, "What's wrong with another of your family? Your brother?"

"He's been depressed ever since our mother died" Seth replied. When he said this, Seth realized that something was off. Usually when he spoke or thought of his mother he felt an emotional pain inside of him. "That's strange."

"What is?" asked Grace, who had begun to drift off to sleep, with her head resting on her arms which were in Seth's soft hair.

"Whenever I talk or think about Mom I usually feel pain." Seth recited.

"Really? I didn't feel any pain from you that time."

"That's what is so strange. Oh Arceus! I really hope I'm not forgetting her!"

Grace ran her hands through Seth's hair similar to how he had done the night before. She then giggled and said, "I think it has more to do with the memories you shared with me last night."

Seth smiled, and replied, "Yeah, you're probably right. I think I'm beginning to think like Ignis."

Grace laughed and replied, "Yes I am, and yes you are!"

"You know you're actually pretty smart for a young Pokemon." Seth commented.

"I guess I am!" Grace agreed, rather proud. She then was a little confused. "Seth? If Fiore is a full Roserade, than why do I seem older than her?"

Seth stopped walking, pulled Grace off of his shoulders, and sat down. "Sorry 'bout that, my shoulder is getting tired." Grace nodded her head in a way that said that she was okay with that. "You really don't know why? Didn't your mother or father teach you?"

Grace shook her head and said, "No, my mom and dad were captured when I was a little Ralts, but don't worry, their trainer brought them back to visit every now and again, so I was okay."

'Why did he not capture her?' Seth wondered, but he kept it to himself. "It has to do with the way you evolve." Seth explained. "For example, you evolve with level, so each time you evolve you seem to get older. As a Ralts, if you remember, you are sort of like babies and toddlers. As a Kirlia, like now, you are children and teenagers. As Gardevoirs and Gallades you are my age. Understand so far?" Grace nodded her head. "Good. Now Pokemon that evolve with stones, or friendship, or something like that, then you remain at the same age as you were when you evolved."

Grace nodded, but then looked confused. "Wait. You said that Pokemon that evolve by stone stay the same, but boy Kirlias evolve into Gallades by stone."

Seth shrugged and admitted, "I don't really know why, I just know what they taught me in Pokemon School."

As the two of them spoke, they did not see a small Teddiursa peering at them. It slowly waddled toward them, sucking sweet honey off of its paws. "Teddy!" it whined.

Turning Grace smiled, "Oh look! A Teddiursa just came over!"

Seth's face had paled and he snapped his head up, looking around at the trees that surrounded the path that he had traveled so many times before without incident. Finally, as Grace attempted to talk with the shy Teddiursa, Seth saw exactly what he had been dreading. A mother Ursaring. She looked menacingly at Seth, her claws at full length, if not longer. She growled loud enough for everyone within a few hundred yards to hear. The forest, which had been tumultuous with the various sounds fell silent and still, as if it wanted to watch what was next to occur.

"Ring!" the mother shouted and charged at Seth.

Seth instantly scrambled to his feet, and he tried to grab at his Pokeballs, but right as his hand almost enclosed around Ignis' the mother was on him. She swiped him with her claws, which raked his chest, leaving long, but shallow cuts along his torso. "Seth!" Grace shrieked, clearly terrified. Seth, who had been dodging swipes from a very pissed off Ursaring, made the mistake of looking over to where he heard the shriek. Seizing its chance, the mother quickly slashed at Seth once more, managing to cause all of the Luxury balls at his waist to fall onto the ground.

"Shit," Seth muttered under his breath. Going against his better judgment, Seth retaliated with a quick kick to the mother's midsection. The beast, surprised, stumbled back a bit, but regained its footing and then charged once again, this time completely blinded by rage. "Shit!" Seth shouted as he tried to run, but the Ursaring was just too fast. Once again, Seth was dodging attacks from the mother.

Grace, seeing Seth in trouble, attempted a confusion attack on the Ursaring. Feeling something strange, the mother stopped attacking Seth and focused on a new target. Grace. It quickly slashed at Grace sending her flying in the air, then landing, sprawled out on the ground, fifteen feet away. The Ursaring sneered at its weak opponent, and then went back to attacking Seth, who was trying to get to the Luxury balls. The mother quickly dashed, and blocked the way to them.

Grace looked up through the pain, and saw Seth frantically dodging swipes. It was clear that he was tired, but the Ursaring looked like it could go on forever. Tears began coming down Grace's face as she watch the only being, besides the trainer who had captured her parents, to ever show her kindness be killed before her very eyes. And she was too weak to stop it. 'I'm too weak, I'm always too weak' Grace thought. Suddenly, images flashed before her eyes. Her parents, a Gardevoir and Gallade, getting captured. Her, being captured by the sadistic being she called "Master." Finally, and most vividly, Seth, being shot. Grace believed that she'd lost him at that point, but he'd kept fighting, for her. Now she had to return the favor! 'I just wish I was stronger!'

Suddenly, a bright light engulfed the battle. Seth and the Ursaring stopped their deadly dance, and stared at the light, which was emitting from Grace. Seth was amazed as her form began to shift, becoming taller, more elegant, and more powerful. The light soon faded, and where once had been a small Kirlia, stood a beautiful Gardevoir. Green hair framed a soft face with two big red eyes; a flowing ball gown had suddenly appeared on her. 'She's so pretty' Seth thought.

Grace looked at her now gloved hands with awe and realized she evolved. The Ursaring snapped out of its stupor and growled once again, heading straight for Grace. Grace looked at the mother and held out her hand. The Ursaring suddenly found itself unable to move, a faint blue glow was around it, forming a silhouette. Relying on pure instinct, Grace lifted her other hand, and focused on building electricity in it. Finally a spark appeared and shot out of her hand, forming a powerful thunderbolt. The bolt struck the Ursaring dead on.

"Teddy!" the Teddiursa wailed. It had been hiding in the grass and trees, but seeing its mother get hit prompted it to run to its mother. The Ursaring got up on one arm and held the other arm out to catch the crying Pokemon.

The Ursaring looked at Grace and spoke its native Pokespeak to Grace, who translated for Seth.

[Please, just leave my cub alone!]

"What were we doing to it?" Seth asked, mustering as much courage as he could.

The Ursaring turned to Seth with a curious expression, but shook it off and continued. [You are a trainer aren't you?] Seth nodded. [You'd probably want to catch my little boy!]

"I had no intention of catching him, I was just talking to Grace, the Gardevoir translating for me," Seth replied.

The mother seemed to relax a little. [I am so sorry; I just couldn't take it if I lost the nearest thing to my heart.] As she said this she hugged the Teddiursa tighter.

The mother got up off the ground, Teddiursa in her arms, and began to walk away. The Teddiursa peeked over his mother's shoulder and said, [Bye-bye mithter!]

Seth and Grace waved and laughed. Once the Ursaring and Teddiursa had left, Seth took a look at Grace's new form. 'She looks stunning' Seth thought.

"**Why thank you," **Grace projected into Seth's mind, giggling a little at the embarrassed look on his face. **"I'm a Gardevoir now; I can read your mind." **

"Shit," Seth complained flatly, but then smiled when Grace gave him a hug, being careful of the red protrusion on her chest. Seth hugged her back, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable feeling of the horn, and asked, "Would you mind not reading my mind, please?"

"Okay!" Grace replied. "Let's get going; I think I see the city, Incendio was it?"

Seth nodded and resumed walking, but was soon stopped when he remembered the cuts on his chest. Looking at them, he saw that the claws had just barely touched him; the wounds weren't even bleeding, but he'd need a new shirt.

Grace was floating beside Seth, testing out her new ability of levitation. She glanced at his wounds, relieved that he only had the scratches on his chest. Grace then asked, "Seth, how did you manage to avoid all of those swipes from the Ursaring?"

Seth looked at her and said, "Oh, I help Ignis, so I dodge… his…attacks…" Seth trailed off and his hand instantly went to his belt. Where five luxury balls usually sat was an empty space. "I forgot the others!" Seth shouted.

Grace laughed as Seth quickly scrambled to go grab his friends. She looked at him with nothing but admiration from him. 'He's like the perfect Gallade or Gardevoir for me.' She thought.

A/N: Sorry for being really late with this one, whole bunch of stuff going on. And procrastination… Anyway, about the story, this chapter was supposed to be a little longer and introduce Sarah and Daron, but I felt like I needed to post soon.


	7. Welcome to the Family

"Text"- Speaking

"_Text"- _Flashbacks/Major thoughts

'Text'- Character thoughts

"**Text"- Telepathy**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON. **

After retrieving the others, Seth and Grace walked to the always burning city of Incendio. The city wasn't on fire, but everything there was centered on fire, the food, the lifestyle, and the people. You had to be careful what you said to certain people in Incendio because they were total pyromaniacs with histories of setting people on fire. That was just the way it was in Incendio. Ironically, the gym leader uses water types.

Seth and Grace walked through a small gate, letting them know that they were in Incendio. Grace glanced cautiously at the path that led to her former tormenter's ruined camp. She didn't tell Seth, but she was still terrified of him. He had managed to get away, and he could be anywhere, waiting for Grace to leave Seth's side so he could jump her.

The fear that Grace emitted did not go unnoticed by Seth. He turned and saw her staring down the path to the son of a bitch's camp site, or what was left of it. He put his hand on Grace's shoulder which startled her. Grace whirled around, her hands ready to blast a deadly bolt of electricity. When she saw that it was just Seth, she lowered her hands and smiled a nervous smile. Seth returned the smile with a goofy, slightly crooked, grin. The face made Grace giggle. "You're so strange," she said.

"Everyone says that when they see my grin!" Seth complained, but with a playful tone in his voice. Grace once again giggled, and the duo continued walking to the Pokemon center. However, Grace had one arm wrapped around Seth's, not unlike a couple would, but she did it because of her nerves. Seth got several weird looks as he walked down the street, but he ignored them. 'Good thing I changed my shirt before I came in, that would have looked very strange.'

"**Yes that would," **said Grace in his head. When Seth turned his head, she giggled. "Sorry," she apologized out loud, "I just wanted to practice a little." Grace then stared at her feet, recollecting pain from when she would make a mistake with her old trainer.

Seth, once again, picked up on this. He noticed that the Center was only about ten feet in front of them, so he decided that he would talk to Grace about her old trainer when they headed back to his home.

"Hello sir!" was the first thing that Seth heard when he walked into the Pokemon Center. "Oh," Nurse Joy said, "You're Seth, the one that got shot, correct?" Seth nodded solemnly. "Come with me please."

Grace and Seth followed Nurse Joy down the hallway and into a decent sized room with several different types of machines buzzing and whirring, letting the world know that they were on. Nurse Joy led the two of them to a machine that had several pads with wires hanging in a bundle on it. "Will you please remove your shirt, Mr. Tenebrae?"

Seth complied with the nurse and exposed his scratched chest to the room. The air felt cool and comforting on Seth's bare chest and stomach. Nurse Joy instantly went to examine the scratches. While she did this and asked Seth many questions such as "How did this happen?" Grace stared at Seth's muscular frame. He wasn't over-muscled, but many muscles were defined so that you could see them. The muscles seemed to give off an aura of power and strength and beckoned Grace to come and touch them. She resisted the urge to just rub them, to feel how hard they truly were.

Finally completed with her interrogation of Seth and her examination of his scratches, Nurse Joy hooked up the pads around Seth's bandaged shoulder, which had a small circle of blood staining the otherwise creamy whiteness of the bandages. Grace was a bit nervous about the strange thing being hooked up to Seth, but one small smile from Seth was all it took to tell Grace that everything was okay.

"Okay Mr. Tenebrae, this might hurt a little. I'm going to send small electrical pulses through your arm and shoulder." Nurse Joy explained.

"Excuse me?" Seth asked, slightly worried. Grace noticed the spike and became nervous as well.

"No need to be worried, this is just so we can see a three dimensional image of your wound." Nurse Joy said calmly. With that, she turned on the machine and turned a dial up. Instantaneously Seth's arm began to tingle, and Seth also felt as if he were receiving small static shocks wherever the pads were placed. They stung but Seth was strong, so he ignored the pain. Grace was watching Seth admirably. He was taking the pain well. Nurse Joy then said, "I'm sorry for this, but I am going to have to ramp up the electricity for a little, I can't get a perfectly clear reading, once again, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Seth replied, bracing himself for the pain to come. Nurse Joy once again turned up the dial, and the pain went from being small static shocks to almost being hit by a Pikachu's thundershock. Seth gritted his teeth as the pain started to become unbearable. Had it been just one of two places on his arm, he would have been able to take it without a problem, but with at least seven of them, Seth was wincing in pain.

"Just a one more minute, please hang in there," Nurse Joy cooed. Seth suddenly reached out with his left hand and grabbed onto Grace's right, snapping her out of a worried trance she was in. Grace blushed furiously when he grabbed her hand like that. Seth didn't notice because his eyes were squeezed shut with pain. Then, just as soon as it had begun, the pain stopped. Nurse Joy quickly removed the pads, which, surprisingly, left no burn or scratch marks. Grace instantly moved to Seth's right arm and began searching it for any sign that the Nurse had hurt him.

"That's something that I never want to repeat," Seth complained, watching Grace examine his arm with great care. "Thank you, Grace, but I'm fine." Grace nodded in response, but continued searching. Seth sighed and let her continue. Turning his attention to Nurse Joy he asked, "Anything special about the wound?"

After staring at a small computer screen for a few seconds, Nurse Joy looked at Seth smiled sheepishly and said, "No, it's healing like it should, I'm sorry I put you through all of that pain for nothing."

"It's fine, better it been nothing, than to not have checked and it been infected or something," Seth replied optimistically. Nurse Joy laughed and Grace finished her examination, glad that nothing was wrong with Seth.

Nurse Joy's attention then turned to the Mark on Seth's arm. "When did you get that?" she asked. "It wasn't there when I looked at you yesterday."

Seth opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a message from Grace. **"Don't tell her what it is. She'll probably want to study it and then anyone with a Gardevoir will want one!"**

Seth understood and said, "I just got it at the tattoo parlor down the street today."

Although the look on her face said otherwise, Nurse Joy responded, "Alright, let's get you out of here."

As the two people and one Pokemon were about to leave a man with short, military style brown hair walked in. He looked to be in his twenties, but looked stressed out. Bags lined his gray eyes, and acne was all over his face. His clothes looked ratty and worn out. As he began walking in, he fell and Seth caught him. The man's hand fell on Seth's sleeve, revealing the Mark. The man's eyes widened in shock and he screamed, "THE MARK! THE MARK! IT'S BACK!"

Seth released the strange man as he ran to other side of the room and cowered in the corner in a rather comedic way, as if this were an act. "Calm down, calm down," Nurse Joy cooed softly while slowly moving towards the peculiar man. "No one here will hurt you, and what are you saying about the Mark?"

The man's eyes were bloodshot, darting back and forth around the room. He was desperate to escape. Seth and Grace blocked the only exit and he had a nurse trying to advance towards him. Suddenly, the scared, frail man seemed to disappear into oblivion and in his place was a crazed, angry man, willing to do anything to achieve his ultimate goal of freedom.

"Move out of the fucking way! I must tell Master about the Mark!" screamed the man and he darted out of the room, shoving both Nurse Joy and Grace out of the way. Seth attempted to stop him, but the man managed to slip under Seth's outstretched arms. Nurse Joy and Grace helped each other off of the floor and joined Seth in watching the insane man run down the hallway screaming something about how pleased the Master would be when he heard the news.

"That was strange to say the least," commented Seth. Nurse Joy and Grace nodded in response.

After recovering from the sight of the man, Seth contacted Gus, his butler and limo driver to come to the Center. Seth and Grace now waited outside it with Seth holding onto some painkillers for his shoulder and arm. Grace was absent-mindedly humming a nameless tune, while Seth read the instructions on the pills.

After about five minutes a long black car pulled in front of the Center and a short man with no hair stepped out. He wore a long sleeved, white, button-up shirt with black dress pants and black dress shoes. "Good morning, Master Seth, and who, may I ask, is this?" asked Gus in a warm tone. Grace noticed that Gus was probably middle aged by the wrinkles, but also noticed that he had prominent smile lines near his mouth.

"Hello Gus, and how many times have I told you not to call me Master?" Seth said happily.

"Only three hundred seventy-five, not that I'm counting," replied Gus. A smile crept along his ancient face that showed several missing teeth.

Seth laughed and said, "This is Grace." He gestured with his right hand to Grace who had her hands clasped together in front of her, a shy expression on her face.

"Well hello there my dear!" Gus said holding out his hand. Instead of shaking it, Grace receded slightly, moving behind Seth, a small blush appearing on her face. Gus pulled back his hand and smiled. "A bit shy isn't she? Perfectly fine my dear. My name is Gus, but you already knew that."

Seth gestured for Gus to come over and whispered in his ear, "Her old trainer abused her, so she doesn't trust new people at the moment."

Gus pulled away with an astonished look on his face. "Why, how could anyone hurt such a pretty thing?" Grace looked down and blushed with a flattered smile on her face. Gus saw this and said, "Awww, there's the smile I was looking for." Grace buried her face in Seth's shoulder, but showed one red eye and held out her hand shyly. Gus smiled happily and took it carefully, shaking it. "Nice to meet ya Miss Grace!" he said jokingly.

This earned a laugh from everyone and Grace relaxed, though she didn't realize how tense she was. She finally glanced through Gus's emotions and saw those similar to a child's. Happiness, playfulness, innocence, and a slight hint of mischievousness. Seth was the first to recover. "Okay, let's get going, I'm sure Sarah isn't too happy because I said I was coming home yesterday."

Gus looked Seth in the eye and said, "Yea, she was pretty upset, she complained to me and Daron all night!" After he said that, Gus walked over to the limousine and opened the back door. Seth led Grace into the car, helping her get into it in her new, taller form.

Grace looked around in the spacious car, she'd been in one once, but it was much smaller and nowhere near as comfortable. Then again, she was tied to a leash and in a cage. The inside of this one was lovely; deep red velvet covered the seats and floor, giving off a feeling of elegance. A small was on the side opposite of the seats, alcohol was lined up in neat rows, ready for use at any time. Though there were several lights on the ceiling, the sun roof provided plenty of natural light.

Seth said a few words to Gus then climbed in next to Grace. After Seth closed the door, Grace heard footsteps, a door open and close, and the car began moving. Soon, they were outside of the limits of Incendio heading along a route that Grace was unfamiliar with, but she knew that they were headed to Seth's home.

Grace looked out the window at the beautiful scenery passing by. Past Incendio there was a gorgeous beach with both people and Pokemon having a great time. Palm trees with hammocks, some occupied, were scattered throughout the area. Grace had a perfect view of the enormous lake and Grace could make out a small clearing in the trees on the other side of the lake where Seth's campsite had been. The campsite brought up memories of her old hell bringer. Thoughts of being raped once again penetrated her consciousness. Her hands instinctively went down to cover her nether regions, now completely covered by her white dress. 'Why am I so scared of him all of a sudden?' she thought to herself.

The fear Grace felt, once more, did not go by Seth. Here, in private, he decided to talk to her about it. "Grace?" he began, somewhat unsure of what to say.

Snapped out of her trance, Grace responded, "Yes, Seth?"

"I think we'd better talk about your old trainer," Seth said flatly. Grace's eyes turned misty and she seemed to shrink. However, instead of protesting she nodded. Seth smiled gently. "Since we've gotten into Incendio, you can't seem to shake the fear of him off of you. Is there anything wrong with Incendio?" Grace looked out the window for a second, and when she turned back to Seth tears began to leak out of her eyes. Seth moved closer toward her and wiped the tears from her face. "Come on now," Seth cooed, rubbing Grace's back, taking care to avoid the red horn on her back. "No tears, be strong."

Reassured, Grace looked at Seth confidently. "He did so much to me in that city, at a rundown hotel, The Drill I think." Grace confessed. Seth nodded, The Drill was one of the least reputable hotels in all of Shilonen, it was known to condone things such as, pokephilia, rape, abuse, or, in the case of Grace's trainer, all of the above. "I'm sor-," Grace started, interrupted by a sob. "I don't know if I can do this."

Seth ran his fingers through her green hair, noting how soft it was. "I know it must have been difficult, and I won't force you to do something you don't want to, but I want you to know." Seth stopped and put his hand on Grace's chin, pulling her head up so that they were eye level. Grace had a small blush on her face, but continued to stare into Seth's deep brown eyes. "I want you to know, that if I ever see that motherfucker again, I will not hesitate to give him back what he gave to you. I promise on my mother's grave!" Seth exclaimed powerfully.

Grace had stopped crying, grateful to have someone, whom she had just met a day ago, care so much for her. She never knew anything but the pain of her old trainer, but now she had a true friend, a best friend, and she would do anything to keep Seth from harm. "Thank you so much." She said quietly, pulling Seth into a warm embrace.

The two stayed together; Seth ignored the uncomfortable horn poking his chest. Breaking the sweet scene, Gus' voice came over a small intercom system. "Seth we are approaching Creativita and will be arriving at the house soon."

Seth and Grace came out of the embrace, slightly disappointed. Grace looked out the window to see what Seth's town was all about. She gasped at the beautiful scene that was separated by a mere inch of glass. The town's buildings, sidewalks, and plazas were made of a yellowish, earthy stone. The vibrant town was also buzzing with activity. Artists were painting on canvases, walls, the ground, and some peoples backs, and pretty much anything that wouldn't be permanent. Colors danced on the buildings, beautiful mosaics of Pokemon decorated most of them. The limo passed the Gym which had a Smeargle, Blaziken, Espeon, and Zangoose spray painted on it. Grace also noticed that other than artists, there were musicians. There were people playing almost every instrument imaginable. Guitars, Basses, Keyboards, Drums, Saxophones, Clarinets, Trumpets, Trombones, Tubas, Didgeridoos, Continuums, Xylophones, and people singing lined the streets. The types of music ranged from classical to jazz, pop to rock, rap to metal, and soul to reggae. The town had an upbeat, go with the flow kind of feel to it. Grace instantly felt like this was where she wanted to spend her whole life.

"Nice isn't it?" Seth asked, coming, once again, between Grace and her thoughts.

She turned to Seth with a big smile on her face. "It's absolutely wonderful. I love all of the small cottages and feel of the town!" Seth smiled as she continued to rattle off things she loved about the gorgeous town.

Soon, the lively town gave way to a small forest-like setting. Trees lined each side, but there were artists and musicians next to the main road for at least two hundred more feet. However, instead of going on the main road, Gus turned onto a small, but well taken care of dirt road. Grace saw that many Pokemon were out and about, as if the huge black vehicle was nothing.

"Grace," Seth said. When she turned and faced him, Seth pointed out front window, which was no longer invisible by the usual thick glass. Grace giggled, at first, because she thought that Seth was pointing to the shiny back of Gus' bald head. Then, when she moved her eyes a few centimeters to the right, she saw one of the largest houses she ever saw. It was made of a white stone that commanded the sun's rays to dance off of its glittering surface. Large columns framed a small front porch and supported a balcony above the velvet red door. The large windows gave a slight peek into what seemed like classically decorated rooms. The limo passed a large metal gate that had small twisting designs that Grace failed to notice at first.

Past the gate was a stone walkway that led to the front porch. Gus turned off the walkway into a driveway and into a large garage. The garage had several high-end cars in it. A blue Ferrari, a black Jaguar, and a bright red Lamborghini all rested in their assigned slots, behind each, a normal-sized garage door. Gus walked around the limo and opened the door on Grace's side. He helped Grace out of the car and then aided Seth out. "Thank you Gus!" Seth said.

"Not a problem, sir!" replied Gus with enthusiasm. Gus then walked to the other side of the Garage and opened a door leading into a small mudroom.

Grace began heading towards the same door, but Seth stopped her. "Let's go out this way," he said, pointing to another door on their side that led outside. Grace and Seth stepped outside, squinting slightly at the bright sun. When her eyes adjusted, Grace scanned the area. Her eyes went wide at the sight. Freshly cut, green grass was all around, on the opposite side of the property was a fairly large pond that had trees and shrubs around it, creating a barrier in a way.

"Come on!" Seth urged, taking Grace's hand as he led her over to the pond. Up close, Grace could see that the pond was fairly deep, and a glistening blue color. As she looked around inside the "barrier" Grace noticed an Espeon and Umbreon napping in the shade of a willow tree. The Umbreon was curled around the Espeon and had its head on the Espeon's affectionately. Grace smiled at the two, it was clear that they were mates.

Seth released Mia into the pond and she squealed happily. The squeal woke up the napping couple and they got up and made their way over the Seth and the Gardevoir.

Noticing them coming Seth smiled and said, "Hey Dawn. Hello Dusk." The two sat down at Seth's feet and looked up at him expectedly. Seth knelt down and began to rub their heads. The two purred happily.

[Thank you, Seth.] Said Dawn, the Espeon.

Seth grinned and replied, "No problem Dawn."

Dawn looked up at Seth with wide eyes and said, [You can understand me?]

"Only with Grace, the Gardevoir over there, translating for me."

[Nice,] commented Dusk, the Umbreon.

"Seth, who are these two?" asked a slightly nervous Grace.

Seth stood up, much to Dusk and Dawn's disappointment. "The Umbreon is Dusk and the Espeon is Dawn, they're mates." As if to underscore Seth's statement, Dusk licked the side of Dawn's face and put his head on hers. Grace smiled at the thought of having a perfect mate. "Dawn is with Sarah and Dusk is with Daron," Seth explained.

"Seth!" said an excited voice. Seth turned and saw a young woman running over to him. She looked to be in her late teens to early twenties with long black hair down to the small of her back. One red streak broke the otherwise solid color of her well-brushed hair. Her eyes were a peculiar shade of gray, and her lips curved up slightly, giving the impression that she was smiling. Although she wore no make-up, she had a unique, natural beauty. She was thin and well toned, but not as muscular as Seth's. She wore a body-hugging red tank top and dark blue, ripped, skinny jeans, and was barefoot. Grace could definitely see that this was Seth's sister, Sarah. There was a resemblance to both Seth and his mother destiny. Grace could even see a resemblance to Seth's father.

Sarah ran up to Seth and hugged her arms around Seth's waist and said, "Thank Arceus you're okay! When we heard that you'd been shot we were so worried!" Sarah then released Seth and her once desperate, weak face turned into a scowl. "You told Daron and me that you would be here yesterday!" she chastised.

"**This is Sarah," **Seth sent to Grace, who giggled a little bit. Turning his attention to Sarah he said, "Sorry, I didn't know what time it was, and you know it's dangerous in those woods at night." Grace stared at Seth with fear in her eyes. Noticing this, Seth projected, **"It's okay, as long as you stay off of the paths there, you're fine."**

Sarah relaxed and replied, "Yes, you're right, but you still should have called us." Dawn then walked over to Sarah and she picked the Espeon up cooing, "Hello my little psychic type!" Dawn licked her face, and Dusk whined for his mate back. Blushing, Sarah set Dawn down and walked over to Seth.

"How is he?" asked Seth quietly.

Sarah knew exactly who Seth was talking about, but before she could say anything a man, who looked very similar to Sarah. "_He _is fine, thank you very much," said the man in a monotone voice. Grace assumed that the man was Seth's brother, Daron.

Daron had short, black hair that was cut semi-military style. His eyes were different from both Seth's and Sarah's; they were a sky blue which stood out against the rest of his clothes and hair. Both of his ears were pierced with diamond studs in each one. The look on his face was void of any emotion, but Grace could see, deep inside, a storm of hate and misery. Daron wore a black t-shirt, black jeans, heavy black boots, and over it all was a black overcoat with chrome buckles running up the front of it. His hands were in his pockets and he took heavy steps. He was shorter than Seth by a few inches, but about the same height as Sarah.

"This is Daron," Seth said to Grace, gesturing to Daron. Daron responded by raising his hand in a greeting fashion. **"He's been suffering with depression, so if he does or says anything offensive, don't be offended," **Seth sent to Grace, knowing Daron's bad habit of saying what he thinks.

"Great," Daron stated in a bored tone, "You brought yet another bitch home. You ever gonna get yourself a real Pokemon?"

Grace was shocked that someone related to Seth could be like this; she could see where most of their father's traits went. Seth sighed, stroked Grace's hair to calm her down and said, "Shut the hell up Daron."

Daron shrugged and there was an awkward silence. Sarah finally broke the silence and suggested, "Let's go inside; I want to hear Seth's entire story." Seth agreed, and the three humans and three Pokemon walked up the path and into the massive house.

When they walked inside, Seth started to release his Pokemon. Grace took the time to look around and was very impressed by what she saw. They were in a foyer now; the floor was a marble that felt cool on Grace's bare feet. A staircase led up to the next floor, and a glass chandelier was hanging over her head. The sun from the large window hit the chandelier just right as to make the light make small rainbows on the white walls.

"Come on Grace!" Seth said as the group began to walk into a hallway to the right of the stairs. Grace noticed that along the walls were masterly painted paintings of dark Pokemon. Though there were other paintings, those stood out the most, and seemed to be painted with the highest level of detail possible. There were paintings of a Honchkrow flying in the night sky, a Weavile and Shiftry prepared to square off, and an Umbreon and Espeon, who Grace thought to be Dusk and Dawn, sleeping quietly before a massive fireplace.

The group finally made it into the living room. The red carpet was soft and plush. Brown couches and chairs were positioned around the fireplace that Grace saw in one of the paintings, and about the fireplace was a large television set mounted on the wall. Once again, pictures of amazingly detailed Pokemon lined the walls. Three giant windows let natural light filter into the otherwise fairly dark room. Daron sat down heavily into one of the plush chairs while Sarah sat in the one next to it. Dusk and Dawn curled up on their respective trainers. Seth led Grace over to a couch and sat down. Grace sat down very close to Seth and carefully watched Daron.

"Excuse me," said a familiar voice. Everyone looked over and Gus was standing in a doorway that Grace had failed to notice."I was just going to ask if anyone would like something to eat."

"Yes please!" Seth said eagerly. Sarah and Daron agreed wholeheartedly. Seth turned to Grace and asked, "Would you like anything?"

"Umm, what do you have?" asked Grace. Seth remembered that she was not used to being treated nicely and she probably didn't know what half of the things in the kitchen were.

"We have a lot of things; Gus can make you a sandwich, some soup-,"

"Soup please! Baked potato if you can!" exclaimed Grace excitedly, bouncing up on the plushy couch.

Seth laughed, "Alright, Gus, some sandwiches for us and baked potato soup for Grace."

"Okie dokie!" shouted Gus as he walked back into his kitchen.

During the whole conversation between Grace and Seth, Sarah and Daron were watching them suspiciously. Finally, Sarah asked the big question. "Seth… umm… were you talking to Grace, like you could understand her?"

Seth looked at Sarah and smiled, "Yes, I can understand her; it's part of the story." Sarah nodded and Seth began to weave his tale.

While Seth recited what happened to Sarah and Daron, Grace was silently thinking to herself and playing with her three fingers. 'I wonder if he'll let me. He let me do it when I was a Kirlia, why wouldn't he let me do it now? I guess I'll ask him tonight, but it will only be for tonight. Just long enough for me to get over him.'

Seth had finished and sat back in the couch taking in a deep breath. Sarah and Daron began to discuss the adventures. While they did this Gus came in holding a tray filled with small ham and turkey sandwiches and a big bowl of hot potato soup. Seth thanked Gus and put the bowl of soup in Grace's lap and handed her a small spoon. Grace smiled at Seth's kindness and then started to use the spoon as if she had used one all of her life.

Right as Seth was about to ask Grace how she knew how to use a spoon, Sarah spoke up. "Seth, Daron and I just talked about it and we've decided that unless we can see the proof of your "Mark" then we may consider putting you in an insane asylum."

Seth stared at the two of them, though Daron had fallen asleep and was snoring loudly. "Alright, if you don't believe me then here!" said Seth as he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing the black Mark.

Sarah stared at the Mark intently. She then grinned and said, "Nice tattoo, but you're going to have to do a little better than that."

Seth gave her an incredulous look and then focused on the sandwich. Having done this once before on the backpack, Seth didn't need to concentrate as hard and the sandwich floated into his hand and he took a bite, trying to suppress a grin at Sarah's shocked face. After swallowing, Seth asked, "Do you believe me now?"

Sarah merely nodded and then Gus remarked, "Impressive, Seth, I am sure that will help you finish cleaning up your room that you left a mess before embarking on your trip!"

Seth chuckled and retorted, "Of course, Master Arceus!" Gus turned a faint shade of red then hurriedly left the room. Seth glanced at Grace who had her hand over her mouth holding back a giggle, the soup bowl was empty. Sarah then busted out laughing, causing everyone in the room to do so as well, except for Daron who woke up with a startled look on his face.

After everything calmed down and Seth demonstrated his powers to an impressed Daron, Grace pulled on Seth's sleeve. Seth looked at her and she said, "Can you tell me where we sleep?"

Seth smiled and replied, "Of course. Let me give you a small tour of the place as well."

Though it was more than she wanted, Grace obliged and followed Seth out the living room and into the hallway on the other side of the foyer. Seth showed her all of the main rooms on the bottom floor of the house including the kitchen, formal dining room, sun room, where Fiore and Lacy were happily playing, the indoor pool that continued outside, and the bar area. Finally, the duo made their way upstairs and continued the tour of the bedrooms. Seth showed her which room was Sarah's, which had pictures of her favorite Gym battles and Gym memorabilia all over the place, Daron's, which had canvases, some covered, some not, and paintings lined up on one wall, and finally Gus' which looked like a normal bedroom.

"This is my room," commented Seth as he continued the tour. Grace peered inside and saw that it looked almost exactly like in Seth's memory, only with clothes and wrappers littering the floor. An acoustic and electric guitar were propped against one wall. Gesturing to the door next to his, Seth said, "This can be your room, but you can really sleep anywhere you want. Lacy sleeps in the freezer, for example." Grace giggled and stepped into her room. It was fairly spacious with a single person bed covered in soft purple sheets and fluffy white pillows against one wall. On the opposite wall was a dresser which had a mirror behind it and a small TV resting on it. The carpet was a deep blue and the wallpaper was a lighter shade of purple with small, hand- painted psychic Pokemon on it. Grace ran her hand along the wall until she found a picture of a Gardevoir holding hands with another Gardevoir; a Kirlia was dancing in between them while a Gallade held a small Ralts. Grace smiled and Seth said, "My mother made that, she enjoyed painting each room for a specific theme."

Grace turned and drew Seth into a small hug and replied, "Thank you so much for being so kind to me."

Seth smiled, returned the hug and said gently, "I can't think why anyone would want to be mean to you."

The two left the embrace and walked over to a window where Grace saw a Shiftry leaping between branches of the surrounding trees while a Sneasal chased it angrily. In the Shiftry's leaf-hand was a stuffed Teddiursa.

Seth grunted and shouted, "Daron! Umbra and Lars are at it again!"

A/N: Another chapter done! This is easily the longest and most descriptive chapter in the story so far. Thanks to all who read this by the way and please REVIEW, but NO flames!


	8. Brotherly Love and Nightmares

"Text"- Speaking

"_Text"- _Flashbacks/Major thoughts

'Text'- Character thoughts

"**Text"- Telepathy**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON. **

Seth and Grace watched as Umbra the Sneasal chased Lars the Shiftry with sheer rage as if she was possessed by a demon. Her eyes burned with red and she blasted ice beams out of her mouth as Lars merely laughed off the pissed off Sneasal.

Seth looked at Grace and asked, "Can you teleport me down there now?" Grace nodded, placed her hand on Seth's shoulder, then opened her eyes and removed her hand. Seth looked confused. "Why did you take your hand off? How am I going to teleport?"

Grace smiled and answered, "Try to do it yourself. Just relax, see yourself in whatever place you need to go, and then focus your powers on moving there."

"You make it sound like it's nothing," Seth groaned. Even though it would have been easier to just have Grace teleport, or even to walk downstairs and go outside, Seth decided to it would be a good idea to hone his newfound powers. Seth followed Grace's instructions carefully as he relaxed both body and mind, as if using calm mind, and then saw himself moving to the area in the backyard that was free of ice or overgrown roots. Suddenly Seth felt himself be surrounded by a familiar blue aura, but lost his concentration when he remembered the next part of the process. A rope seemed to tie itself around Seth's waist and as he felt like he was being pulled to who knows where he shouted, "Arceus dammit!"

The wind felt like it rushed around Seth as he teleported. Suddenly, the wind faded and Seth was falling, he noticed that trees were all around him. Seth then hit something very bushy yet hard. In the midst of the confusion, Seth didn't know what it was until he heard a cry. "Shiftry!" shouted Lars as he fell, mid-jump, with a human on top of him. The two fell for a short while more until Seth felt himself floating in mid-air.

Lars, without the human, managed to right himself right before he hit the ground and land on his feet, but got soon got into a tug of war with Umbra over the Teddiursa. Seth felt himself floating gently to the ground and ended up sprawled out on his back. A figure then came over Seth.

Finally cleared of his confusion, Seth managed to make out the smirking face of Grace. She held out her hand and helped Seth off of the ground. Brushing the dust off his back Seth said, "Thanks for that. Guess I need a little more practice huh?" Seth blushed heavily with embarrassment.

Grace laughed and said, "It's okay, I landed in some weird places as well, I will tell you about them sometime." The two shared a laugh, but were soon interrupted by the fight going on between Daron's Sneasel, Umbra and his Shiftry, Lars.

[Give it back you big meanie!] wailed Umbra as she tried, in vain, to pull her favorite toy from Lars' powerful leaves. Lars laughed manically as he watched his favorite punching desperately try to retrieve her favorite plaything.

[Such a weakling,] sneered Lars. [And I thought that Ice was supposed to beat grass. Guess that only counts for Pokemon that don't suck ass!]

Umbra looked to be close to tears and right as Seth was about to step in to help her, heavy footsteps grabbed everyone's attention. Daron stood in the doorway, his overcoat gave off the impression that he was much bigger than he actually was. Daron silently made his way over to where his two Pokemon were fighting, his heavy boots making sickening crunching sounds on the grass. When he arrived Lars immediately let go of the stuffed Teddiursa and Umbra held it close to her chest. Looking at Lars, Daron stated in a firm, yet monotone voice, "Don't ever touch Umbra's, or anyone's, stuff again, this is your last warning." As Lars began to walk inside, Daron slapped him, fairly hard, on the back of the head. However, instead of getting angry, Lars just sighed, as if remembering better times.

Daron turned so that he was facing Umbra, who was still clutching the Teddiursa tightly. He knelt down so that he was face-to-face with Umbra. She looked into his emotionless gray eyes, slightly fearful that he might hit her as well. Instead, Daron placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "Umbra, you can't let bullies like Lars do stuff like that to you. Toughen up."

Umbra's heart stung when Daron said that, she was training as hard as she could, but it was never enough. [Sorry, Master.] She said though Daron only heard her repeat her name a few times.

Daron rubbed her shoulder gently and stood up. Seth and Grace looked at him angrily; both of them hated seeing Daron hit Lars, especially Grace. Daron looked at them and immediately was angry. "What the fuck do you want me to fucking do huh? Give him a big fucking hug and kiss and tell him not to do that again or else he might get a fucking time out?"

Seth glared at Daron. "You still shouldn't have hit him; especially not with Grace around, but you wouldn't know why because you probably were too busy snoring!"

"Fuck off!" shouted Daron. He noticed Grace staring at him, a very hurt expression on her gentle face. "Go fuck yourself, bitch!" Had Grace been made of glass, her face would have shattered.

Tears began to fall from her eyes and she teleported off somewhere. Daron seemed pleased with himself and looked at Seth with and innocent expression. Seth, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to punch Daron's smug face right off of his dumbass head. So that's what he did. Seth reeled back his fist and let it fly, connecting with the center of Daron's face. Daron looked at Seth; a small trail of blood fell from his nose. Without warning, Daron lunged at Seth, tackling him to the ground. Although Seth was bigger and stronger, Daron was quick and knew how to fight from many drunken scuffles that he'd been involved with. The two went at each other like a pair of crazed Primeapes on steroids. Fists and feet flew every direction, profanities rolled off tongues like stones off a mountain side. "How dare you say that to Grace, you bastard!" screamed Seth as he made contact with Daron's stomach.

"Get a room!" coughed Daron as he struggled to recover from the blow that Seth had landed.

Right as he managed to stand up straight, Seth struck him again in the stomach, this time knocking Daron to the ground. Daron writhed in agony as Seth gloated. "You never could beat me little Dare Bear!"

Daron looked at Seth with pure hatred. He hated that old nickname that was given to him, by their mother, when he was just four years old. "Fuck you! Just let me die already!"

"What the hell is going on out here?" screamed a female voice. Seth and Daron looked away from each other long enough to see Sarah and another man running toward them. Seth recognized him as Sarah's boyfriend, Deuce. Deuce was just as tall and muscular as Seth, but his muscles had required no work to achieve. He just had them naturally. He was the typical beach bum type guy. Sandy blonde hair, white tank top, khaki shorts, and flip-flops. He was just as rich as Seth's family, but he had full control of his money as his mother and father were declared mentally ill, by Deuce. "Well?" asked Sarah, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Sarah, baby, let a _man _handle this," scoffed Deuce as he strutted, confidently, up to Seth and Daron, who had managed to get off the ground, but was still holding his mid-section. "So what did happen here?"

Seth recited his version of events and then Daron described his, both blaming the fight on each other, as brothers normally do. Deuce listened carefully, but was more concerned making sure that his hair stayed in its cheap faux hawk. After the brothers finished, Deuce was completely lost. Rolling her eyes, Sarah stepped in. "I don't care who started the fight, just stop fighting each other. Now."

The brothers grumbled their apologies to Sarah. Ever since their mother had died, she had become a matriarch of sorts of the family. "I'm going to make sure that Grace is okay," stated Seth, walking off in the direction of Grace's bedroom.

Sarah turned to face Daron, who had begun to walk inside. Sarah placed a hand on his chest and glared at him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Hitting your own Pokemon, again?"

Daron, unfazed by Sarah's gaze, shouted, "Why can't anyone understand what I am going through? You all act like my mom never even died! Motherfuckers!"

Sarah's eyes became misty. "She was my mother too! She was Seth's mother too! Do you think we don't feel anything?" she shouted, rage boiling her blood. Deuce stood on the sidelines; he had been admiring his muscles, but Sarah's shouting had brought his attention to the argument. Daron had shrugged off Sarah's previous comment, which only added to her unbridled rage. "You don't even fucking care about us, do you?" Daron shrugged again. "Forget you, Daron. I've tried, Seth's tried, and even Gus has tried, but since you don't give a damn, then just forget you." Sarah said, defeated.

"You tried and failed," Daron said mockingly. Once again, Daron's anger suddenly overtook his sullenness. "So I'm not worth the almighty one's time? Is that it? Then forget you, forget you bitch." Daron then stormed through the house, out the door and into the garage. He got into the Jaguar and drove off down the road, not caring that he was over the speed limit, he just wanted to get out the hellhole he called a home.

Sarah watched as he sped off and tried to hold back tears. Even though it wasn't unusual for Daron to just disappear for months at a time, it scared Sarah that there was always the possibility that he wouldn't come back, or that she'd she his suicide broadcast on the news. A warm arm wrapped around Sarah's shoulder. She looked up and instead of seeing her "loving" boyfriend, Deuce, she saw her best friend, her Blaziken that she named Bruce smiling down at her.

"He'll be okay, he always comes back better than when he left."

Sarah smiled at her feathered friend, she had Bruce since she was ten and he was a Torchic. Bruce also learned how to speak English after hearing about a strange Meowth that learned it. He was always like a mentor to her and he was _always_ there when she needed him, unlike a certain boyfriend of hers. 'Why do I even put up with him,' Sarah thought to herself.

"Yo! Sarah, baby! Let's get going to the movies! We're gonna see the new Rhyperior movie!" shouted Deuce as he stole Sarah from under Bruce's arm.

"Bye, Bruce, be good," said Sarah softly and then followed Deuce out to her car, which he insisted that he drive.

"Bye, Sarah," replied Bruce glumly as he watched Sarah drive off.

"Hey, man, let her go, she's not a child anymore," came a gruff voice from behind Bruce.

Bruce turned to see a male Zangoose beside a male Smeargle. "Hey Slash, hey Brush," greeted Bruce, his voice even toned.

"Man, you know she's okay," stated Slash gruffly.

"I know," said Bruce, turning so he could see the road, "I just don't trust Deuce."

Brush smiled and replied, "You never do, but Sarah always comes back safe. Let's go inside." Bruce nodded and the three of them went into the house.

Back in Grace's bedroom, Grace was crying into one of the fluffy pillows on her bed, her legs crossed in front of her. After a while, she heard a knock at the door. "Grace, it's me," said Seth calmly. Grace opened the door with her psychic power and Seth stepped inside. He was a little dirty from his fight with Daron and a small blue bruise was forming on his arm. "How are you holding up?" he asked gently, coming to sit by her.

"How do you think?" Grace snapped. "He hit that Shiftry and then didn't even care! He's just like my old trainer." Grace began crying, uncontrollably into the pillow, staining the case.

Seth gently rubbed Grace's back and attempted to assuage her. "Grace, please calm down. Daron wasn't anything like your old…" Seth trailed off. He didn't see the man Grace was with as her "trainer" but more as her captor.

"What do you mean 'wasn't'," asked Grace, taking her face up from the pillow.

Seth smiled and looked at one of the small paintings on the wall. It was a painting of an Absol; it wasn't one of the paintings on the wallpaper, but a beautiful painting, framed in a gold frame. The picture portrayed an Absol on a rock, looking out over an ocean with a storm brewing in the distance. The moon's rays reflected off of its snow white fur beautifully. Had the painting been full sized, anyone could have easily mistaken the Absol for reality. Grace noticed Seth looking at the painting happily. "Did he paint that?" she asked quietly.

Seth looked at Grace, his eyes misty. "Yes he did, about a week before our mother died. He always wanted an Absol, but he hasn't found one and when our mother died, he couldn't paint them anymore. He said that he always had to be happy when he painted them, otherwise they came out poorly." A few tears fell out of his eyes, but they weren't tears of sadness, but ones of longing; a longing to have the old times back.

Grace felt his longing and suddenly got a strange vision. In it she and Seth were playing Frisbee in a park somewhere. There seemed to be something different between them, they were closer, happier, more in touch. Though Grace didn't understand that part, she did see Daron, smiling, laughing, and messing with Sarah, but not in a mean way. Her vision suddenly ended and Grace smiled. Hugging Seth, she said, "I promise everything will get better eventually."

Seth smiled at Grace and replied, "I hope so, I hate fighting every time we're home."

A sharp knock at the door interrupted them and Seth opened the door with his powers, revealing Shock. Shock, slightly surprised, said, [Ah, Seth, Grace, your sister says that Gus has prepared dinner, and it's pizza tonight!]

Seth laughed, but Grace looked a little confused. "What is pizza?"

Seth stared at her like she was crazy. "You know what baked potato soup is, but you don't know what pizza is?" Grace blushed and Shock laughed heartily. Standing up, Seth said, "Let's head down to the dining room and you can see for yourself what it is."

The three of them walked out of the room and into the dining room. It was lavishly decorated with dark woods for the floorboards and a dark wood paneling for the walls. An enormous table dominated the center of the room. Flowers adorned the table as small centerpieces, and more pictures lined the walls. However, this time they were landscapes, sunsets, mountaintops, grassy plains, and cityscapes. Grace noticed that an Absol was in every single painting. Seth walked over to the table and took a seat near the front of the room, but not at the head. Grace looked uncomfortable as she glanced around, looking for a seat. There were only thirteen seats at the table. Two bowls for Dawn and Dusk were placed by where Sarah sat.

Grace began to sit in the seat next to Seth when Shock said, [That is where I sit, but you may sit there if you would like to.]

"Oh, I'm sorry," apologized Grace, "I will find another place to sit."

[No, no, no, I will just grab another chair, don't worry yourself, I don't mind,] responded Shock with a friendly, sincere smile on his face. He walked over to a small closet and pulled out another chair, similar to the ornate ones that already were placed around the table.

Soon everyone was seated and there were only two seats near the front of the table empty. One was for Gus who was serving the pizza. He had made specific kinds for each person and Pokemon as he knew what everyone's favorites were. The other seat was for Daron and it would probably remain empty for quite some time. Soon Gus had made his way around the table, having served everyone but Grace. "I improvised what yours is based on what I thought you would like. Just tell me if you don't like it and I can get you some plain if you'd like, my dear," explained Gus nicely.

Grace looked at the plate in front of her. On it was a triangle shaped thing with pecha berries, lum berries, and pepperonis. Mimicking what everyone else did, Grace picked up the pizza and took a bite. Instantly, a strangely pleasant taste spread across her whole mouth. Grace quickly devoured the rest of the pizza. When she finished, she looked up and saw that Seth, Sarah, and Gus were looking at her with peculiar expressions on their faces. Grace blushed and said, "Sorry, it was very very good, Mr. Gus."

Gus looked at Seth as he had only heard Grace repeat her name a few times. "She said that it was very good, Gus," Seth translated. Gus smiled and, with a small nod of appreciation, sat down to enjoy his own slices.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Sarah finally broke the silence. "Have you decided yet?" she asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

Seth looked at his plate, abashed. "No," he groaned, wanting nothing more than to drop the subject, but he knew that Sarah wouldn't. She had been pestering him for the past few weeks.

"You said that you would when you got back from this little 'vacation'!" exclaimed Sarah, somewhat loudly, drawing the attention of the Pokemon at the table.

"In case you didn't notice, things didn't go exactly as planned," retorted Seth.

Sarah blushed slightly. "You're right, I'm sorry, it's just that I feel like you're not doing anything to pull your own weight around here. I won't be getting any more money from challenges because the Gyms are closed until January!" Seth nodded, in Shilonen and Hoenn the gyms only ran from January to August, when the championship was. The winner of that won the right to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion. "I don't know when Daron will be back or if he'll even come back," continued Sarah, "But we will need to keep money coming in over the winter!"

"I know, but it's just that I can't decide what to do. I want to be a trainer, but music is just so important to me, it's like art to Daron." Seth explained, though he had explained this many times before to several different people.

Grace had been listening silently while she watched the seemingly dysfunctional siblings argue. Suddenly, an idea, quite an obvious one at that, came into her mind. "Excuse me," she said quietly, afraid to interrupt the feuding siblings.

Seth, Sarah, Gus, and the other Pokemon were too busy with the argument to notice Grace's comment. All except for one. Ignis had been sitting directly across from Grace and heard Grace's desperate, yet quiet attempts to draw attention to herself. Finally, tired of watching Grace be ignored, Ignis shouted, [Hey! The new girl's got somethin' to say!]

Everyone knew Ignis' loud, obnoxious voice, even if Sarah and Gus couldn't understand what he was saying. Everybody stared at Ignis and he pointed to Grace, indicating that she wanted to say something. Finally having captured the human's and Pokémon's attention Grace stated, "Why don't you just do both? You could travel and battle with us and then use the experience to write, umm, music?" She seemed a little unsure what music was, though it was to be expected.

The realization hit Seth like a raging Tauros. It was so obvious! Completely flabbergasted at his own stupidity, Seth slammed his head down on the table, earning a roar of laughter to erupt from the Pokemon. Sarah and Gus looked lost as they couldn't understand what Grace had said. Finally, Gus asked, "Umm, Seth? What did Grace tell you?"

"She said that I should do both," grumbled Seth miserably.

Gus and Sarah looked at each other. Both of them had slight blushes on their faces for the same reason as Seth. Grace giggled at the embarrassed humans; they obviously were used to explaining things to Pokemon.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Seth started to head up to his room, when Grace, who was following him, asked him, "Seth, what is music?"

Seth stopped, turned, and looked at Grace, an astonished look on his face. "What is music?" he asked. Grace looked down at her feet, hands clasped together in front of her, very ashamed for not knowing something that she should have. Seth immediately picked up and placed a comforting hand on Grace's shoulder. "You're not in trouble; it's just that music is very important to me. Music is like blood to me. It must fill me, be a part of me, flow through me in order for me to live. It's my way of expressing myself, it gives me an outlet when I'm angry instead of yelling, it is always my friend when I am sad. I can tell it anything and it will translate into something that is beautiful to the ears. The best part is that it's varied. There is not just one type of music, just like there is not just one type of Pokemon. All of those people you saw making those sounds in the street in Creativita, they were making music."

Grace's eyes had been wide since Seth had begun speaking. Music sounded like a great thing. "Can you show me what it is?" she asked.

Seth shook his head and Grace looked disappointed. Seth smiled and said, "I can't show you, but you must feel it when you hear it. Come with me." Seth led the way to his room where he closed the door grabbed a beautiful, deep brown, wood acoustic guitar. Its steel strings glistened in the late evening light. Right below the strings was words. When Grace looked closer, she saw that the words were written in fancy English. Seth saw her eyeing the signature at the bottom of his guitar and explained, "That's an autograph, or when someone famous signs something of yours. This is my most prized possession, signed by the legendary Eric Clapton, a very famous guitar player and musician."

"Amazing," Grace complimented, completely entranced by this strange instrument. "Can you play it?"

Seth smiled brightly and nodded. He placed his hand over the strings of the guitar and began to strum, a pick between his thumb and finger. The noise emitting from the instrument found its way to Grace's waiting ears and when it arrived, it exploded. Notes of all varieties danced in Grace's ears forming beautiful routines performed by a true master of the craft. When Grace thought that the treat could not get any sweeter, words formed from Seth's mouth. They matched the guitar's dance, yet they were separate, as if two partners were performing the same dance, but they weren't together. Seth sang softly.

"When the pain becomes too much

Believe in the will of yourself

When you need a small push

Don't feel alone, you have me

You have me! You have me! You have!"

Seth's singing suddenly became much grittier, and the guitar became much faster and intense. Grace still found herself amazed at how the notes were now performing almost an entirely different dance.

"Trust!

In me!

Fight!

The ones who hold you do-own.

When I am there, you are strong

When you are not there I am weak

You are me!

I will be there!

For you!"

Seth stopped, taking small breaths; the singing had clearly taken a little out of him. Grace clapped her hands and jumped up and down slightly, similarly to how a child does on Christmas. Seth smiled, bowed, and said, "Thank you!"

"That was amazing! Your voice sounds so beautiful when you sing! It melds perfectly with the guitar!"

Seth smiled at her enthusiasm and graciously offered, "Would you like to hear more, different types of music?"

Grace nodded eagerly and asked, "What kind of music was that?"

"That was rock music; it is generally one of the first genres that people learn of. It appeals to many people, and is one of my favorites."

"Well it sounds wonderful," stated Grace firmly. For the rest of the evening Seth played and played, introducing Grace to the wonderful world of metal music with its intense, fast-paced sound, classical music and its soft, melodic sound, and rhythm and blues with its calming, yet powerful beat. After much time, Seth's fingers and voice could not take any more.

"I'm sorry Grace, but I have to stop; my fingers just hurt too much." Grace nodded and yawned, it was obvious that she was tired; after all, she'd had a long day. Seth smiled gently and said, "I am going to get a drink of water, my voice is starting to get hoarse." Seth exited the room as he began to cough dryly.

'He's so nice,' thought Grace as she sat on the edge of Seth's king sized bed. She put her hand over her mouth to cover a yawn. 'I better get some sleep.' Then, she realized that if she didn't ask Seth if she could sleep with him, she'd be left alone and vulnerable. Her hands shook at the thought of her old trainer managing to whisk her away without Seth to protect her. 'I have to do it. If I don't, I'll never manage to sleep. It will just be for tonight,' Grace thought as she tried to convince herself that this was a good idea.

As she was thinking, Seth walked back in, holding a glass of water in his left hand. He went into his closet, closed the door, and quickly changed into his sleeping clothes, a white undershirt and gray sweatpants. He had set down his water on his dresser. When Seth walked back in to grab it, he noticed that Grace was staring at the floor like she was thinking about something. Curious, Seth walked over and asked, "What are you thinking about, Grace?"

Grace looked up, startled, but relieved to see that it was merely Seth. "Oh… I was just… well…" she trailed off. Her mind warred with conflicting thoughts. 'What if he thinks it's weird and rejects me? What if he wants to get rid of me? What if he won't mind at all?'

"You want to sleep with me?" Seth asked kindly, a warm smile complimenting his warm brown eyes.

Grace's mouth opened to say something, but no words came out. 'How did he manage to guess that?' Grace thought.

A man's voice echoed in Grace's head. **"I figured out how to read minds too,"**

Grace looked at Seth with pleading eyes and he wrapped an arm around her, causing her to blush slightly. "It's no problem; you can sleep here anytime you want. I can understand that you'd be a little scared about your trainer."

Grace hugged Seth and said, "Thank you so much. I don't think I could sleep without you here."

Seth rubbed Grace's back then helped her up off the bed to the left side. She lied down in the bed and Seth pulled the covers over her body. Grace enjoyed the soft fabric on her white skin. It was much better than the cage she used to sleep in. Seth turned off the lights and stumbled around in the darkness, trying to find the bed. He managed to make his way over to the side where Grace was and placed his hands, trying to tell what side he was on. A surprised squeak gave him the answer and he quickly pulled his hands back, grateful that it was too dark for Grace to see his entire face turn as red as a Pokeball. After a few more minutes of stumbling around, Seth managed to crawl into bed next to Grace. "Goodnight, Grace" he said sleepily. Light snoring was all the response he got.

_Grace suddenly found herself standing in the middle of Seth's room. Everything was the same, Seth was sleeping and nothing was out of place, but something felt wrong. Grace felt feelings of greed, lust, and malice. _

_Suddenly, the large window in Seth's room shattered into millions of tiny shards. The shards of razor sharp glass cut lightly into Grace's skin, but tore her dress to pieces, leaving her naked in Seth's bedroom. Grace quickly attempted to cover herself. She stared out the shattered window. The night was moonless and no stars lit the sky, in fact, there were no lights to speak of. The area outside the window was just inky blackness. Out of nowhere, came a hand clawing at the carpet. Grace stared, wide-eyed as her old tormenter pulled himself into the room._

"_Hello, whore, you look even more beautiful than when I remember you," said the man, his voice piercing Grace's ears then her mind. It echoed in her head and she shook her head to relieve the pain. "Now, come back with me, where good little beasts belong." _

"_Seth!" Grace managed to call out, the scratchy voice still echoing in her mind like a broken record player._

_Seth stood up slowly and without emotion. He stared at Grace with a blank expression, his eyes empty black sockets. Grace screamed as Daron, Gus, and Sarah all walked in, wearing the same expression as Seth did. Her old captor, growing impatient, growled, "Come here, my bitch."_

_Suddenly, Grace's legs started moving towards the man; Grace was not the one controlling them. Her hips, unwillingly, swayed in a quite sexy manor. Grace's eyes widened as she saw something growing in her old master's pants. Grace screamed once again and pleaded, "Seth, please help me!" _

_Seth looked at her and an evil grin broke his usually kind face. "There is no help for you, bitch, you are a whore, this is what you deserve!" he said, his voice like one-thousand knives scraping against each other._

_Tears streamed down Grace's face as Seth continued to scream horrible things at her. Daron, Sarah, and Gus all joined in. Suddenly, she was face to face with her old master. His heartless brown eyes stared into her red ones. They were nothing like Seth's. She then found herself bending down and presenting her sex to this horrid man. Tears fell down her face. "Please!" Grace begged, "Don't do this! Seth! Someone! He-." She was cut off as she saw her old master's cock positioning over her entrance. She watched, in horror, as her old master got ready to plow himself into her._

"_I hope you enjoy your life again, bitch! With your master! Thantos!" he yelled before ramming himself into her._

Grace sat up straight, soaked in sweat, screaming. Suddenly, she found herself facing two brown eyes. Right as she was about to blast Thantos, Grace recognized that the eyes were warm and inviting. They were Seth's eyes, his real eyes. Grace stopped screaming and quickly pulled Seth into a loving Ursaring hug, weeping into his shoulder. "Don't let him get me Seth! Don't let him!" she wailed, never wanting to let Seth go.

Seth rubbed her back; he had woken up to her screaming and tried to get her to calm down. "Calm down, Grace, it was only a nightmare," he cooed.

Grace stopped crying and looked into Seth's eyes, letting herself get lost in them. Seth let himself get lost in hers as well, getting entranced by her red eyes. Grace suddenly moved her face closer to Seth's and he did likewise. Seth stared at Grace once more before he moved his lips to hers and planted a kiss on her lips.

A/N: Another chapter down. Daron is a jerk, I know he is, but I designed him that way. And before you all get your hopes up, Grace and Seth aren't falling I love… yet… Also, just to clarify, yes, this is my own region. It's called the Shilonen region. The name doesn't mean anything as far as I know; it's just something I made up. Anyway REVIEW and NO flames.


	9. Revelations

"Text"- Speaking

"_Text"- _Flashbacks/Major thoughts

'Text'- Character thoughts

"**Text"- Telepathy**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON. **

Sunlight filtered through the giant window in Seth's bedroom. He sat up, stretching to relieve a slight stiffness in his shoulders. He looked around the room in an attempt to wake him up. His eyes managed to settle on a green and white blur next to him. Rubbing his eyes, he smiled, seeing that the "blur" was Grace. Suddenly, the events of the previous night came back to Seth and he immediately jumped out of bed; surprisingly not waking Grace. He slowly walked to his private bathroom trying to clear his head.

'Why did I kiss her?' he thought to himself strolling into his rather large bathroom. The cool, white marble floor glistened under the lights on the ceiling, which illuminated a fancy sink, shower, tub, and, of course, a toilet. After relieving himself, Seth turned on the water in the tub, letting it run and heat up. While he waited, Seth looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was a dirty, greasy, rat's nest of tangles and knots. He splashed some water from the sink onto his face to wake up and then looked at himself again. He jumped back at the face staring back at him. Instead of the melancholy expression he usually wore when ever things were tough, which they usually always were, the face looking at him wore a smile and the eyes were full of life.

'What the hell is going on?' thought Seth, but was soon distracted by a small pool of water forming at his feet. Jumping to the overflowing tub, Seth quickly turned off the water and let some of the water drain out. Seth felt the water, was satisfied with the temperature, and began to undress. He heard a noise outside the door, like sheets rustling. Grace was up. Seth quickly dashed over to the door and locked it so that she wouldn't accidentally invade his privacy. Things were going to be awkward enough without an incident like that.

"Seth?" said Grace, a little worried as to where he was.

"In the bathroom, Grace, I'll be out in a little bit. Ask Gus to make you something if you're hungry." Seth was a little scared that Grace would try to teleport in, but she didn't.

"Oh, okay," she replied. Seth heard start to walk out the door and felt the same awkwardness that he too had felt, but there was something else there. It was happiness, the same strange happiness that Seth felt.

Seth shook his head and walked over to the tub, now with the correct amount of water. Seth stepped in and sank into the water, letting the warm water soak away all of his troubles. Whenever Seth was troubled, he always headed for a nice warm bath. The warm water seemed to cure any ailment, clear away any obscure thoughts, and relax any tense muscles. It was like Nirvana for Seth. After soaking for several minutes, Seth's mind wandered to Grace. 'Why did I kiss her?' he thought, placing a hand on his forehead. 'I don't like her like that at all, we're just good friends, besides, we met just two days ago, it's impossible to fall for someone that quickly.' Seth's mind scrambled to rationalize why he had kissed Grace the night before. Suddenly, it came to Seth. 'The medicine for her heat!' thought Seth, quite loudly, in his head. "I forgot that it does have one minor side effect in psychic types. It causes a hormone to be released that makes them irresistible for one or two days; it should be done by now and everything could be normal again. Seth sank a little deeper in the water, up to the chin, relieved that he'd figured out the situation with Grace.

After a few more minutes, Seth got out of the tub, dried himself off, and drained the tub. Seth quickly combed out his unruly hair and walked out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his private parts. Looking around in his room, he saw that Sarah had been in there. The bed was made neatly and some clothes were lying on the dresser. Seth quickly changed into his usual black t-shirt and black jeans, but these had rips in the knees from one particularly nasty brawl with Daron. Seth walked downstairs and into the kitchen where Sarah was in her night clothes, a small black top that showed off her toned midsection and a pair of sweatpants. Her hair was a mess and it looked like she hadn't slept a wink with heavy bags under her eyes.

"What's the matter with you?" asked Seth, looking around for a bowl to make some cereal.

Sarah glared at him and replied, "Deuce." Seth shook his head, finally finding the bowl, now deciding which cereal he wanted. "Are you even listening?" Sarah asked in an irritated tone.

Seth turned to face her and said, "Yes I am, now what did Douche, I mean Deuce, do this time?"

"He kept me up all night, constantly calling my phone and asking if I was okay. He is such a sexist pig, he thinks woman can't do anything!" rambled Sarah tiredly; this was becoming a regular thing with Deuce and Sarah was about at her wit's end.

Seth nodded thoughtfully, and stated, "You should break up with him. It doesn't take someone with powers to figure out that you're not happy with him."

Sarah shifted around uncomfortably, she didn't like to be mean to people and she always considered breaking up with someone "mean." Then again, it would mean being rid of Deuce for good and getting some much needed sleep. Sarah looked at Seth and replied, "Thanks Seth, for listening." Seth nodded and Sarah continued, "I'm going to take a shower, you try not to kill yourself making cereal." Seth glared at her and she smiled happily, almost skipping to the shower.

Seth finally managed to decide on what cereal he was going to have and leaned on one of the many granite countertops to eat. As he was eating, Seth decided that it would be a good idea to talk to Grace. Having no idea where she was, Seth sent a telepathic message. **"Grace, can you come into the kitchen please?"** Seth calmed himself and prepared to explain the situation to her.

Grace walked into the spacious kitchen. She loved this room the most. It had tile floors and very nice dark wood, granite countertops. A small bar area was nestled in the corner, somewhat throwing off the décor of the room. Looking at Seth, Grace immediately felt shy and awkward. She never meant to kiss him; she didn't even know why she let him. Something in her mind just seemed to let her. "Yes, Seth?" she said nervously, her voice quavering slightly.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Seth said calmingly. Grace instantly relaxed; she'd been so scared that he would be angry for what she had done last night. "I know why we kissed last night," Seth continued, "It was because of the side effect of the heat medicine I gave you."

Grace looked confused. "I thought you said that there were no side effects!" she almost shouted, a little upset that Seth had lied to her.

Seth nodded slightly. "I can understand why you'd be mad, but I didn't do it on purpose. It only happens in psychic types, I don't know why, but for whatever reason, it makes them release a hormone that makes them irresistible to others and make them have a desire to be with someone." Grace looked shocked and realized that in all the time that she'd spent with Seth, she was thinking about how he would be a perfect mate! She squeaked slightly when she came to this realization and blushed heavily. Seth smiled and said, "Don't worry; the effects should be over by now."

"_Should?_" Grace asked skeptically.

Seth's smile widened. "Well do you want to kiss me?" he asked teasingly.

Grace grunted, half frustrated, half amused, but was relieved that she didn't want to kiss Seth. "No. But can I least hug you?" she asked with fake puppy dog eyes.

Seth obliged and opened his arms, which Grace pretended to step into, but pulled back at the last moment, a smug smirk on her face. Seth let his arms down and said, "You little cheat!" The two broke into an uproarious laughter. Finally calming down, Seth asked, "Did you get some breakfast?" Grace nodded and Seth said, "Good, because now the team and I gotta get back to training."

Grace tilted her head in confusion. "I thought you weren't a trainer," she said.

Placing his used utensils inside a fancy dishwasher, Seth replied, "Yes, but I still like to train, keeps both me and everyone else in good shape."

Grace nodded, and then looked down at the floor, pondering something. Seth picked up on her uncertainty and turned to her. She looked him in the eye and asked, "Can I be part of the team that you battle with? Please? I've battled a few times with my old trainer, before he started to, you know…" She trailed off and Seth urged her to continue. "He used to have me battle and I always found it really fun."

Seth smiled and gave her a comforting, one-arm hug and said, "I was hoping you'd ask, I always thought a psychic type would round out the team nicely."

Grace smiled and the two began walking down a hallway, decorated with more paintings, though these were pictures of different Pokemon battling. One showed a Monferno and a Combusken dueling, fierce looks in their eyes, both eager to prove themselves. Another showed an Elekid shooting a thunderbolt at a Nuzleaf, who looked ready to take the hit. Grace realized that these were pictures of the battles that the three siblings had been in before. Suddenly, Grace realized something about Sarah. "Hey, Seth?"

"Yes?" he responded, pulling out a key and putting it into a solid white door. When he opened the door Grace was amazed to see that there was a full battle arena, weights and other exercise equipment, a target range, and a juice bar filled with different berries, waters, and pretty much anything that you'd need to refuel. This was all combined in open gargantuan, open room. Seth smiled at Grace's awe, as he often did, but then remembered that she wanted something. Snapping his fingers in front of her face, Seth asked, "Didn't you want something?"

Coming back to reality, Grace struggled to remember what she wanted. The question swam back into her mind and she said, "Well now I have two, but the first one was, if Sarah is a gym leader, why does she have multiple types? I thought gym leaders only had one. My second question is, where did you get the room to put all this stuff in?"

"To answer your first question, I use multiple types because I am the considered the 'last' gym leader that people face before qualifying for the tournament," explained a female voice. Both Seth and Grace looked behind them and saw Sarah walking into the training area with Bruce, Slash, Brush, and Dawn at behind her. "Yours and Daron's Pokemon are on the way, I think you forgot them," she teased at Seth.

Seth rolled his eye and watched as his Sister and the Pokemon walked into the vast area, barely taking up any space when all together. Grace moved slightly closer to Seth when Daron's famous dark types moved into position near her. "It's okay, they won't bite," Seth joked.

[Well this meanie might!] said Umbra, angrily pointing to Lars. Lars just shrugged apathetically.

"Calm down Umbra," cooed Seth. Umbra pouted and turned away from Lars, earning yet another shrug. "To answer your second question, Grace," Seth said, eager to change the subject. "If you noticed, the hallway outside was slanted down; we're underground right now. This is basically our basement. All of us train down here and work out as well," he explained.

Grace nodded understandingly. "Could you and Sarah have a battle? Please?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her in a begging gesture.

Seth smirked at her and looked at Sarah. "What do you say?"

"I say I'm gonna kick your ass big boy!" taunted Sarah, sticking her tongue out at Seth.

Seth and Sarah took their positions at opposite ends of the field. Each had recalled all of their Pokemon except for Daron's and Grace, who were standing on the sidelines.

"Are the protectors on?" asked Seth, referring to the special mechanical devices that somehow managed to lessen the damage that Pokemon received when they got hit. Sarah knelt down near each corner of her side of the field, flipping a switch on small, square, metal boxes. Seth did likewise. The boxes gave off a small hum which soon died down into almost nothingness.

"You ready?" asked Sarah with a small smile. Seth nodded. "Okay then, come on out, Slash!" Sarah shouted, releasing the ferret-cat Pokemon, claws in front of him threateningly.

Seth nodded and shouted, "Alright, come out, Shock!"

Shock appeared on the field and he turned to Seth. He then quickly spoke. [Let's see how you're ability to understand us will play out.]

Seth smiled and nodded. "You can have the first move!"

Sarah smirked. "I know that, you never make the first move! Hmm, let's go with a swords dance to start off with, Crush." Crush moved his claws in a way that mimicked sign language and when he stopped, he seemed much stronger. "Good, now get in there and use crush claw!" Slash sprinted unusually fast for a Zangoose towards Shock, who knew just what to do.

Right before Slash hit his mark; Shock jumped and wrapped his tails around Slash's arms, holding them in a full nelson. "Great, Shock, now use thunder!" said Seth calmly, not taking his eyes off of Slash's deadly claws. Shock's tails began crackling with energy as Slash desperately tried to escape.

"Slash, use slash with both arms and aim for the tails!" commanded Sarah. Slash quickly obeyed, shifting his wrists so that his claws were in line with Shock's tails. With a yell, Slash moved his claws in a weak slash, just meant to stun, on Shock's tails.

[Big mistake!] exclaimed Shock, and he released every bit of energy into Slash's claws. The claws acted like metal the way they conducted electricity and Slash's motionless body was dropped from Shock's tails and Sarah gasped and quickly withdrew Slash.

Grace nodded approvingly. Seth was not only a very talented trainer, but very in touch with his Pokemon.

Sarah nodded at Seth. "I always forget how strong Shock is. But you're not going to get away that easily!" she shouted as she launched another Pokeball. When the brilliant light faded, Dawn stood, ready to launch an attack.

Seth nodded and withdrew Shock back into his ball, congratulating him as he did. "Come out, Mia!"

This time after the light faded, the brilliance was left behind. The beautiful serpentine Pokemon looked behind itself and said softly, [Let's do this, friend.]

Seth could instantly tell that something was wrong with Mia, she seemed almost reluctant to fight Dawn. "Are you alright Mia? I can have someone else battle if you don't want to!" Seth replied.

[I want to fight, but just not with her, for…reasons…]

"What reasons?" asked a very concerned Seth. He was nervous that something was wrong with Dawn that she didn't know about. "Is something wrong with Dawn?"

Sarah, who hadn't been able to understand the previous conversation, suddenly perked up at the thought of something being wrong. "What is it? What's wrong, Dawn?" she asked, her voice getting higher and higher with each word. It was clear to everyone in the room that Dawn was hiding something.

Dawn looked down, nervous as to what to tell everyone. She'd only told Dusk, because he was her mate, and he would have definitely wanted to hear this, and Mia, because she was such a good friend, and knew how to keep a secret. Glancing at her mate, who gave a sharp nod, Dawn drew in a breath and quietly explained, [She doesn't want to fight me because… I'm…] She trailed off and Dusk walked over and sat besides her, urging her to go on. Seth, Sarah, and the rest of the Pokemon, except for Mia, all looked on with nervousness practically overwhelming both Grace and Seth. Taking another breath, Dawn finished quickly, [I am p-p-pregnant with an egg!]

After a moment of silence, the room broke into cheers and congratulations. Sarah went over and picked up Dawn, cuddling her and cooing. "Why were you so scared of telling us?" she asked, rubbing Dawn's belly lightly.

Dawn blushed and said, [I didn't want you to think that I couldn't battle. The egg will be coming in only a few weeks, and I really should rest.] Sarah looked at Seth, confusion clear on her face, and Seth translated.

Sarah laughed, setting Dawn next to Dusk, who lovingly wrapped his tail around her. "I know you like to battle, but can you please wait a few weeks? I don't want you to hurt the egg okay?" Dawn nodded calmly and walked to the side of the arena so the battle could continue. Turning to face Seth, Sarah smiled widely. "You ready to start up again?" she asked. Seth just nodded. Giggling, Sarah said, "Then I think I'll send out, Brush!" Throwing the ball, an awkward Smeargle appeared.

Seth didn't smile; he knew that he'd have to be careful, Brush had a reputation as being one of Sarah's strongest, as well as being completely unpredictable. "Are you ready Mia?" Mia grinned and nodded. "Good, then let's start with hydro pump!" Seth commanded.

Sarah was thrown off by this; Seth never, ever made the first move! Brush attempted to dodge the attack, but was still hit head on by the intense blast. Growling, Sarah shouted, "Recover!" Seth grimaced as Brush glowed and instantly seemed as if he had taken no damage. Sarah smiled; she had made Brush use sketch on every one of Seth and Daron's Pokemon, so he knew anything they knew. Recover, ironically, was Mia's. "Now, magical leaf!"

"Out of the way Mia!" Seth commanded, but grimaced as he remembered that magical leaf couldn't miss. The leaves changed their course right as Mia slithered out of the way. The leaves slammed into her back, hard. "Recover," Seth said, regaining his calm disposition. Mia glowed briefly and was instantly ready for more.

Sarah smiled again. "Brush, use thunder!" Brush's tail glowed yellow as it charged up the electric attack. He released the deadly bolt of lightning directly at Mia, but Mia was one step ahead. Mia suddenly seemed to be coated in a shining coat, adding to the already lustrous beauty of her coat. The lighting bounced off the mirror coat and slammed into Brush with twice the power. "Brush, are you alright?" Sarah said, watching Brush slide across the floor.

Brush was out, but Seth felt something wrong. Yes, he was a strong battler, but Sarah was a gym leader and always gave him a run for his money; he usually ended up losing. However, he'd already taken out two of Sarah's without even breaking a sweat. Moving to turn off the machines on each side of his area on the arena, he asked, "What's the matter Sarah? You seem off today."

Sarah glanced at Seth, her mind obviously elsewhere. "I'm fine," she replied, her voice telling Seth to drop the subject.

Taking a quick look into both her mind and emotions confirmed Seth's suspicions. "It's about Daron isn't it?" Sarah said nothing, opting to pretend to not have heard. "You know he does this," continued Seth walking over to get closer to her, "I'm your brother, you can tell me."

Grace, Dawn, Dusk, and all of Daron's other Pokemon had drifted to where Seth and Sarah were talking. Finally, Sarah said, "I don't know why, but I feel like something is different this time. I know that he leaves like this randomly, but I can't shake the feeling that if he comes back then something will be different."

"Maybe he'll be a little better?" Seth suggested optimistically. Sarah gave him an incredulous look and just placed Slash and Brush's balls into a healing machine which gave a quick beep and completely healed the two of them. She quickly released them and then released Bruce. Seth did likewise with his. The Pokemon began milling about, heading off to their preferred areas of practice. Ignis and Shock began to brawl with each other about whatever they were angry about at the beach. Mia headed to a small indoor pool, Umbra, Lacy, and Fiore all headed to the target range. Lars just sat down and began to take a small nap. Sarah headed over to tend to Dawn and Dusk. Seth looked around, seeing if he was needed anywhere; he was. Grace was standing, looking nervously at the complex equipment around her, quite unsure of what to do.

"You look a little nervous there, Grace," commented Seth jokingly. He walked over and pulled Grace over to the target range where Fiore was blasting targets with sludge bombs while Lacy pulled the lever. The two noticed Seth and instantly ran up to him excitedly. Smiling Seth said, "Let's teach Grace how to use this thing." Turning to Grace he instructed, "Watch closely, Lacy and Fiore will blast the targets that fly up when I pull the lever. Understand?" Grace nodded. Seth smiled and walked over to the lever, pulled it, and instantly targets popped up randomly from inside the machine. Lacy and Fiore launched ice beam and magical leaf respectively and within ten seconds all of the targets had been hit.

Grace looked amazed. "They're very good," she commented, wondering if she'd ever be as good as them.

[Thank you Miss Grace!] exclaimed Fiore similar to how a child would.

Seth laughed and said, "Now you try Grace, try using your thunderbolt, and don't worry about speed, the key is accuracy." Grace nodded and Seth pulled the lever. Once again, targets shot up and Grace blasted one with a powerful bolt of electricity. She smiled, but soon realized that other targets were going down. She quickly managed to blast all but three of the targets. Seth looked impressed. "Very nice, you managed to hit more than most first-timers." Grace nodded appreciatively. "Now let's try level two," Seth said with a small smile.

The rest of the morning and into the afternoon was spent in the training area. Seth taught Grace how to use some of the other facilities such as the healing machine and the toilet. For the rest of the day everyone went their separate ways. Sarah went down to the gym to check up on it, the Pokemon dispersed amongst themselves. Seth and Grace spent the afternoon watching TV. Mostly news shows were on, but they managed to find a few channels that were showing some Gym battles that happened earlier this season. Several hours passed and nothing of particular interest happened.

Seth and Grace headed upstairs to go to bed. Soon they arrived at Seth's bedroom door; Grace's was adjacent to his. The two looked at each other awkwardly, almost as if they were two strangers. "Night, Grace," Seth said quickly and entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

"Goodnight, Seth," Grace replied to herself. She went into her room and looked around. Grace couldn't deny that the room wasn't beautiful and the small paintings were masterpieces at their worst. Still, something felt off. There was a vast emptiness to the room that she hadn't felt since last night. She was confident, though, that she could make it through the night without incident. She crawled into the soft bed, pulled the purple covers over her body, and attempted to sleep.

In the other room Seth was sitting on the edge of his bed in his nightclothes. He glanced at his door, hoping that Grace would be alright and would sleep well tonight. Something kept nagging in the back of his mind. Looking around his room, Seth thought of how empty it seemed. He'd had the room since his family had moved into the house almost fifteen years ago, that was a better time.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Seth crawled in bed, turned off the light and went to sleep, praying that Grace would be fine.

Seth soon felt himself awaken. Light flooded his bedroom. No, not his bedroom, just a room. Suddenly realizing that he wasn't in his bedroom anymore, Seth's mind and body instantly sprang to life. Seth quickly scanned the area. It was all white, even the "ground." Seth could see nothing until he turned completely around and saw a very familiar object. The giant square of color. This time, however, the square was a rather disgusting shade of green. The color reminded him of being sick and strained peas. Getting closer to the square yielded thoughts of concern, worry, and abandonment in Seth. Soon a very familiar outline appeared beyond the square.

Stepping back, Seth waited as his old friend, Jake, stepped through the square, his smile the same as always, friendly and warm. "Hey there, buddy!" Jake said with enthusiasm.

"Jake," Seth replied, still happy to see his friend, despite the fact that he was dead. Suddenly Seth's demeanor seemed to change. "Stop sneaking into my damn dreams!" he shouted.

Jake looked hurt, but instantly felt embarrassed when a large grin plastered itself on Seth's face. "Can't believe I fell for that," murmured Jake, looking down at his shoes, a small flush to his face. Looking back up at Seth, nothing but seriousness in his eyes, Jake said, "Sorry to ruin our fun, but I must speak to you again." Seth calmed down and nodded for Jake to go on. "I see that the Mark took," Jake continued, and Seth rolled up his sleeve, revealing the black Mark. Nodding, Jake said, "Yes it has definitely taken, but now you must learn how to use it."

"I already can," replied Seth, slight indignation in his voice.

Jake held up his hands innocently. "I never said that you couldn't, but you'll need to learn how to defend yourself with it."

Seth stared at Jake, debating whether what he was saying was the truth. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"There is a cult that is bent on using the power of the Mark for their own gain. Had I not been trained to resist, killing me would have caused the power in the Mark I have to completely vanish from me and into whatever the cult uses to take our power." Seth looked dumbfounded. Right as he was about to disagree and tell Jake what a ludicrous statement that was Seth remembered the seemingly insane man in the Pokemon Center. Noticing the realization on Seth's face, Jake continued, "That Gengar that bounced the dark pulse off of Wobbly was specifically targeting me. Now that I think of it, I couldn't see the trainer's face when I faced him, which really should have made me at least a little suspicious."

Holding up a hand, Seth stopped Jake. Taking a breath in defeat, Seth said, "Okay, you've managed to convince me. What do we have to do?"

Jake smiled and responded, "There are three main areas that we'll have to cover and you should be able to protect yourself. Those areas are combat, which is slightly painful to learn. You'll primarily want to use this if someone attacks you directly. Second, is resistance, which will prevent people who do manage to kill you from taking your power which will allow you to survive as a spirit despite being separated from your body, which is how I'm still able to speak to you. Finally, there is transfer. During your time, you will slowly transfer some of your power into Sarah and Daron, maybe even Gus."

"Why would I need to do that?" interrupted Seth.

"Should the cult try to kill Sarah or Daron as bait to draw you in, then their souls will manage to live on such as yours will."

Seth nodded and asked, "What do you mean my soul will live on?"

"You soul is separate from your body, and an untainted soul is pure and therefore able to live without the use of a body, but can't do many of the things a body can," Jake explained. "The reason people without the Mark go to Arceus' great reward is because technically, by Arceus' original law, death is a sin. The Mark can only be given to a person, who has a clean soul, and the Mark prevents sin from tainting your soul, therefore, your soul will not be tainted by death and able to live on. When you think about it, people with the Mark can live forever, but are free to enter the Great Reward when they want to." Jake let out a breath, slightly winded from explaining it all.

Seth put a hand on his forehead. He was overwhelmed, how could all of this have happened in such a short time? How was this even possible? "Oh, Arceus," muttered Seth under his breath.

Jake chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I will explain everything, in time, but for now it is time for you to go back to Shilonen. Oh, by the way, Grace will play quite a large role in your life, so keep her close."

'Darkrai said the same thing,' thought Seth. Suddenly the light became uneven and flashy, the signal that the connection was breaking. "Wait!" Seth shouted as Jake turned to leave. Jake turned around to face Seth and Seth asked, "Why did you and Darkrai say that about Grace?"

With a wink, Jake said, "You'll see, my friend."

With that, Jake walked away and Seth began a freefall into sheer whiteness.

A/N: Another chapter done! I really like the ending of this one, it became a lot longer and more in depth than I had originally planned, but I think that it's better this way. Also, I know that there is a lot left unanswered, but don't worry, all will be answered in time, but for now read and review, NO flames.


	10. Conquerings and A Gift

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

2 months later

During the time that had lapsed, Seth's training had begun and was in full swing. The training was often done in his dreams, allowing his physical body to rest, while still training it. During these dream training sessions, Jake pushed Seth as far as his limits would allow him and then some. Often, Seth's dream self felt like the embodiment of death itself after the brutal sessions that Jake claimed were necessary. The training often started off with physical conditioning, such as, jogging, weight lifting (which Jake somehow managed to create in Seth's dreams), and, worst of all, carrying Jake around while jogging and lifting weights. After that, much of it was spent fine tuning Seth's seemingly natural talent for combat. Jake taught Seth how to use moves such as psychic and shadow ball, and even managed to teach him how to use a small magical leaf. The last part of the training was the most straining and brutal. Learning how to resist. Jake would attack Seth with moves like drain punch, since he had gotten his Mark from his Gallade, and Seth would be forced to try to contain the energy that would normally be sucked from his body. It was sheer torment and Seth often ended up being battered and bruised, but when Jake stopped his assault, Seth's psychic energy was still full, a sign that the drain punch was not at its full effect.

During this training, in the world of reality, Seth kept Sarah, Gus, the Pokemon, and even Grace in the dark about his activities. Jake had warned him that should one of them find out it would make them a larger target when the "enemies" would come after him. Though Seth had not seen hide or hair of these "enemies," he was constantly on guard, for fear that something would come after his family, or even worse, Grace.

Over the course of the past two months Seth and Grace had done nothing but gotten closer to each other. The two were comfortable talking about anything, no matter how private, or painful. Seth often shared stories of his mother that always pained him in the pain. Grace, in turn, shared her tormenting ordeals. She told Seth of the horrible things her master did to her. He whipped her, he raped her nightly, he tortured her mind with horrifying images of beings that would cause a full grown man to cry, it barely fed Grace and often left her to fend for herself, and when it wasn't tormenting her, its Pokemon were. Grace described, in detail, how his Machamp and Garchomp would physically abuse her. In her sleep, the Gengar would have his merry way with Grace's mind and give her nightmares almost as bad as Darkrai's. Grace was now telling Seth one of these dreams.

"I remember being suspended, spread apart, almost like I was flying. My arms and legs are spread so far apart that I felt like I was going to be torn apart should the ropes sever. I remember that the room was black and midnight and cold as the new moon, but I couldn't stop feeling the warmth of heat between my legs." Grace stopped and shuddered slightly, despite the fact that she and Seth were in the comfortable living room, the fire roaring like a great beast. Seth wrapped an arm gently around Grace as the red in her eyes mixed with the crackling flames that she stared into. Taking a breath, Grace continued, "I then saw a white thing appear out of nowhere. I think a door opened and inside it were the silhouettes of my parents. The lights turned on and there they were, but they were bloody and maimed. My father's blades were gone and one eye was missing, his crest on his head had a huge piece out of it. My mother's horn was half gone and bleeding heavily. Her chest was ripped open, and I saw her pulsing heart, faintly beating. Bleeding cuts and bruises littered both of their bodies and it stained their white skin red. But worst of all, was that…they…were..." Grace trailed off, moving close to Seth and whimpering slightly. She then felt Seth's reassurance and, without a word, encouraged her to continue. "They were s-s-smiling. They were smiling at the macabre mess they were in! I screamed for them, but they seemed not to hear it. Instead they walked over to me, holding hands and they laid two bloody kisses on my cheek. I felt their sick happiness at being raped of their skin and hurt like that. Finally, I managed to wake up to the grinning face of that Gengar!"

Grace began to sob, a single tear falling down her white skin. Seth gently wiped it away with his free hand and rubbed her arm soothingly. "It's okay, remember it's over now, you will never live that life again," he cooed.

Grace looked up at him and stared at Seth's confident face. She loved when he got that look on his quite handsome face. The way his black hair hung low on his forehead, but not covering soft, yet strong, brown eyes that hid the pupils in the dim light. She admired his smile that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face nowadays. "Thank you, Seth," Grace said shyly.

Seth looked at his watch; the time read ten-thirty at night. "I think that we'd best be off to bed," Seth commented, removing his arm from around Grace.

"I'll go in a little," Grace replied, staring at Seth as he stood up. She had noticed a change in Seth over the past few months. Not only were his powers progressing at a rapid rate, but his body changed a little as well. Although his muscles still looked the same, Grace could tell that they were stronger than when she met him. He'd also seemed to have more defined features than before. His lean body was still there, but something was different, yet Grace still couldn't put her finger on it. She'd been so lost in thought that she didn't notice that Seth had left.

'What is wrong with me?' Grace thought to herself. 'Lately, it seems that I can't get Seth out of my mind. What's different from a few months ago? I tell him more about my past, but I just feel like I can trust with those. Seth seems to still be the same person, but he's different now. He's not a stranger to me, but more like a…a…mate.' Grace gave her face a little slap to snap her back into reality. Smiling she thought, 'That's ridiculous! Seth can't be a mate to me! He's human and I'm a Pokemon, we can't even have children together!' Grace continued this mental admonishment for several minutes but soon gave up with it. 'Who am I kidding?' she thought, 'I love Seth! I want him to be my mate more than anything, but why would he want me? We're close, yes, but it's like best friend type closeness, not a mate type' Deciding that some sleep would help her clear her head, Grace got up off the couch and made her way up to her room. When she got there, Grace placed a hand on Seth's door, but quickly retracted it and held it with her other. Without a word, Grace went inside her room and closed the door.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth was sitting on the edge of his bed in his sleeping clothes. One thing was on his mind that prevented him from sleep. It was the one thing that was always on his mind. Grace. 'Why can't I stop thinking about her? I mean, she's my best friend, but that's it, nothing more. Could the medicine still be active or… or…' Seth's thoughts trailed off. He lied down on the bed and put both of his hands on his forehead, rubbing his eyes with the heels of them. "I really hope tonight's training isn't too brutal," Seth complained to himself. After that, he moved up in bed, pulled the covers up over his body, and used his powers to shut off the light. Sleep soon took over him.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth woke up, or at least his dream form did, and he was standing in the familiar white plane of his mind. He looked around for the "magic square of feeling" as he and Jake called it, for lack of a better term. When Seth saw it, he cocked his head slightly to the left in confusion. The square's colors were shifting. One moment they were vivid shades of red, then the next, calming shades of blue. The colors continued to change and Seth stared at them, but was soon interrupted by Jake. "Curious, I haven't seen it do this."

Jumping, Seth gripped his chest and said, "Arceus, Jake, don't do that!" Jake chuckled and Seth continued, "What does it mean when the square shifts colors like this?"

Rubbing his chin, Jake pondered the question. After several minutes, Jake responded, "I think it means confusion." Seth stared at him, confused, and the square's color changes occurred more rapidly. Nodding, Jake said, "Yep, definitely confusion. What's on your mind, buddy?"

"Nothing, just drop it and let's get to training."

Jake sat down on what appeared to be white nothingness and looked at Seth critically. "Something is on your mind, and if you don't tell me than I'll just look into your mind and find out what I want to know." Jake sat back with a smug smile on his face.

Seth grunted, obviously frustrated about being cornered like that. Sighing, Seth confessed, "It's about a girl." Jake grinned and motioned for Seth to go on. "The thing is… she's not exactly, um, human."

"Oh?" Jake asked, genuinely curious about what Seth meant.

"She's…umm… she's Grace…" Seth confided, cheeks blushing from embarrassment

Jake's eyes widened with shock. "You mean that Kirlia that you saved, well I'd imagine she'd be a Gardevoir by now?" Seth nodded. Letting out a breath, Jake said, "I really don't know what to say. My Gallade was mated to my Gardevoir, so I can have them give you some advice, or I can have them see if your feelings are true."

"They're true," Seth affirmed strongly. "I just don't think it could ever work out. I mean, it's illegal, we can't have children, and we are two totally different species, we…" Seth trailed off. He put his head in his hands and let out a frustrated grunt.

Jake smiled and clapped Seth on the back. "Sounds to me like you're trying to convince yourself that you're not in love," Jake commented. Seth looked up, eyes watering, but refusing to fall. Jake continued, "You only told me about the bad things that could happen in your relationship. Tell me about what you like about Grace."

Seth smiled. "She's beautiful, not like any other Gardevoir I've seen, and she's a great storyteller; she can make any story sound amazing. She's intelligent, caring, a good person, and she's even a little shy, but it just makes her cuter when she's blushing and hiding behind me." Seth laughed at his flustered blush.

"I can tell you love her," Jake said.

"Yeah," Seth said breathily. "I just wish it could work out between us."

"Listen to me," Jake said sternly, looking Seth directly in the eyes. "You've convinced yourself that it's not even possible to be in a relationship with a Pokemon. You know Jeremy, the normal type gym leader?" Seth nodded, not understanding where Jake was going with the speech. "His most powerful Pokemon, his Lopunny and he are in love with each other! They have been making it work out for almost five years, and still love each other!" Jake was ecstatic by now and Seth was encouraged.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing, buddy," Seth said. "Because you're making me think that actually telling Grace how I feel is a good idea."

"I think that you should do it," Jake ordered. Suddenly, the whiteness dimmed and flashed, the sign that Seth's and Jake's time was coming to an end. "Remember what I yelled at you!" shouted Jake in a somewhat comedic voice. Seth waved him off and then disappeared from Jake's view. Jake smiled; the reason that he'd been so adamant about Seth telling Grace was because of a vision that he'd received just before Seth had come. In it, Seth and Grace were standing in front of a tree, hand in hand, staring into each other's eyes, and then they kissed lovingly. "Good luck, buddy," Jake said to himself before disappearing.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth awoke in his bedroom. However, something was different this time. Seth usually felt well rested and refreshed in the mornings, but today he felt horrible and wanted more sleep. Fearing that Jake would try to train him some more Seth got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom. Once inside, he looked at himself in the mirror. He stared at his melancholy face, a face of misery, one of pain. 'Same old morning face,' Seth thought to himself. 'I just wish that I could make my happy face come back, just once more.' Seth recollected the day that he'd woken up after kissing Grace. When he woke up, Seth's face was usually pained and sad; dreams of his mother usually were the cause, but now they were caused by Jake's training.

After going through his usual morning routine of showering, brushing his teeth, and having breakfast, Seth walked upstairs to get dressed for the day. When he got to his door, he heard a thrashing coming from Grace's room. Cracking the door slightly, Seth peered into the room, feeling a little like a stalker. He looked at a shifting figure in the plush bed and when it turned Seth saw its face, eyes squeezed shut, muscles tense, sweat dripping from the skin and staining the sheets. Seth threw open the door. He knew what was happening; Grace was having another of her nightmares. They came on about once every few weeks and during that time, Grace was always in the worst shape.

Seth ran to Grace's side and shook her gently, trying, in vain, to wake her up. When she didn't, Seth placed a hand on her forehead, and then the weirdest thing happened. Seth felt like the inside of his body was being pulled from him. The feeling was almost impossible to describe. It wasn't as if his physical organs were being pulled, but something else. "My dream self," Seth whispered to thin air right before he blacked out.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth awoke in his living room. However, something was different this time. The room looked exactly the same, but the feeling was off. Glancing at the fireplace, Seth's stomach dropped. The fire was roaring, filling the room with its radiant heat and happiness. But, standing inside the crackling mixture of red, yellow, and orange, was Grace. Her hair was singed black and her white skin was now red and full of blisters. She looked at Seth with pleading eyes; her mouth was open and revealed a dry, cracked tongue. Grace seemed to be trying to scream but was unable. Though it appeared that nothing was restraining Grace from merely stepping out of the fire, she seemed unable or unwilling to do so. Suddenly, a voice filled his head.

"**Seth! Help me! I can't get out, I don't know why!" **Grace's voiced echoed. It was a pitiful and sad voice that Seth couldn't bear to hear.

Seth attempted to speak, but couldn't, so he tried telepathy. **"Grace, this is a nightmare. I want you to try something that my mother taught me." **Grace nodded understandingly. **"This is your dream, and I want you to make it yours," **Seth commanded gently. He knew that he could have changed the dream himself, but he felt that he needed to help Grace learn how to do it herself, in order to prevent future nightmares. **"This is your dream, and you can change it to be whatever you need it to be. Just think that you are out of the fire." **

Obeying Seth's instructions, Grace imagined herself out of the fire, completely healthy, and, most importantly, in Seth's strong embrace. Suddenly, Grace no longer felt that the fire was consuming her and when she looked up; she saw Seth's slightly confused face. Grace stepped back, unwrapping her arms from Seth's torso, a blush coming to her face. Seth looked at Grace and smiled. Then, out of nowhere, the two felt like they were being pulled from their bodies in the same sensation that Seth had felt when he entered Grace's nightmare.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace suddenly jerked awake. Seth was staring into the face of Sarah and Grace, Bruce.

"Are you both alright?" Sarah asked with the concern of a mother. "Bruce and I heard a thump and when we got here, we saw the both of you asleep and twitching!"

Standing up, Seth stretched and said, "Yea, we're alright. Grace was just having a bad dream and I slipped and hit my head when I went to wake her up." That was a lie, but Seth knew that he had to protect Sarah.

Bruce aided Grace in standing up, steadying her when she wobbled. Sarah was looking at Seth curiously, eyes seeming to stare into his soul. "Fine," she conceded, unable to conceive any better of an explanation. "But I'm watching you!" she warned.

Seth held up his hands innocently as he watched Sarah and Bruce exit the room. Suddenly, Seth felt a two arms wrap around him. When he turned, he saw the smiling face of Grace. "Thank you, Seth," Grace said quietly, squeezing him tighter. "Thanks for teaching me not to be afraid. I mean, most things learn that from their parents, but mine weren't around often enough."

Seth returned the hug and replied, "It's no problem. Besides, I have a surprise for you."

Releasing Seth reluctantly, Grace cried excitedly, "Really? What is it?" Seth laughed as Grace bounced up and down like a small child.

"We have to go into town to get it," Seth said coyly.

Grace moaned but followed Seth through the house and out onto the front porch of the mansion. Outside, the trees, once a vibrant green, now were the colors of fire. Ruby reds, brilliant oranges, and perky yellows swayed in the crisp autumn wind. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, blowing off some of the leaves and biting straight through Grace's thin dress. "Can we take a car today, I'm really cold right now," Grace complained, wrapping her arms around herself and rubbing them on her arms in an attempt to get warmer.

"Sure, no problem," Seth replied. Though the reply seemed normal enough, Grace felt a curious mischievousness from Seth.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth pulled into the parking lot of a store. It wasn't particularly crowded as holiday shopping hadn't started yet. Locking the car, Seth and Grace made their way inside, ringing a small bell as Seth opened the door. Inside, the building was very nice and large. A carpet covered the entire floor with a diamond-weave pattern; industrial style lights flooded the racks of higher-end and cheaper clothing. People and Pokemon alike strolled through the aisles, occasionally taking an item off to try on. Grace had to stop looking around when she noticed Seth walking off towards a small counter where a young, brown haired girl was idly flipping through a magazine. Grace quickly ran to catch up, but was stopped by a Gallade.

"Why hello there, pretty thing," he said, in a flirty manner.

Grace grunted and blew a strand of stray hair out of her face. She hated it when Gallades though that they were so amazing and they always were on the lookout for single, female Gardevoir. "Please, move, I need to get to my trainer," Grace explained patiently, though she didn't feel comfortable referring to Seth as her "trainer."

"Come on, baby, don't be that way, let Johnny here take care of you," the Gallade, Johnny, said. He moved around Grace and spanked her on her ass. Grace squeaked and quickly pushed Johnny away. Laughing, Johnny said, "I bet you liked that, huh baby?"

"Go away, pervert!" screamed Grace, attracting the attention of Seth, who was now holding a small box, and the girl who was working the counter.

"Johnny! How many times have I told you not to bother the females that walk into the store!" chastised the girl.

Johnny began walking over to his trainer, but on his way clapped his hand on Grace's butt once again. 'That's it!' Grace screamed in her head. She extended one hand and then her eyes glowed blue. Suddenly Johnny was lifted off of his feet and thrown over the counter, hitting the wall with a loud thud. Seth and the worker girl laughed hysterically as Johnny got up, rubbing a huge bump on his head, and he hung his head low in shame. Grace crossed her arms as Seth joined her side. Seth waved to the girl and the duo began walking back to the car. Grace was swaying her hips, tauntingly at Johnny, mocking his lust.

The duo entered the car and sat down in the front seats. Grace eyed the box in Seth's hand. It wasn't particularly large, but it wasn't very small either. Other than a label that read "special order" on it, the box was completely normal. Overcome with curiosity, Grace asked, "What's in the box?"

Seth smiled and said, "Your surprise."

"Can I open it now? Pretty please?" plead Grace, giving Seth big Lilipup eyes.

"Since you asked so nicely and since you sent that Gallade so hard into the wall, sure you can."

Grace squeaked with happiness and greedily grabbed the box from Seth's lap. She slowly opened the box and peered inside. Inside was a large, black, turtleneck sweater, a small cut was made to fit Grace's horns in the front and back. It looked to be quite expensive and warm. Grace felt the fabric and admired its softness. Grace quickly looked at Seth, who nodded and Grace quickly pulled on the sweater. It hugged Grace's body, covering her arms, torso, and neck, shrouding them in warmth. Grace looked at herself in the car's mirror and squealed in delight. Turning to face Seth's grinning face, Grace embraced him awkwardly because of the confines of the car. "Thank you so much, Seth. I absolutely love it!" Grace complimented.

"I thought you might," Seth replied. "But can we continue this somewhere else?" Grace released Seth, blushing. "Thank you, now how about we go and get something to eat?"

"Okay," Grace replied, still feeling the luxurious fabric of the sweater, enjoying the added warmth.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace now sat outside a small café, a small band was playing jazz, and a fountain was spewing from the mouth of a stone Politoed. The two were enjoying the serene atmosphere, good food, and just being alone with each other. Seth was eating a burger, while Grace was munching on a salad with Pokemon food mixed into it for added nutrients.

"Thank you so much for the sweater, Seth!" Grace thanked for the tenth time.

"You're welcome already, no need to keep saying thank you!" Seth falsely complained.

"I just love it so much!" Grace exclaimed, wrapping her arms around herself once again, loving the comfort. "How did you get it with the extra cut for the horn?"

"I ordered it from a special that makes alterations to clothing for Pokemon, such as the cut for your horns." Seth explained, then proceeding to take another bite of his burger.

"Well I think it's lovely!" Grace complimented.

She was about to say something else, but was interrupted by a voice crying out. "Seth! Seth! Help!" Seth turned to see who was calling him and saw a young boy, about the age of twelve running up to him. The boy was a student of Sarah's and often came to their house to train. He had a mop of black hair that hung messily around his head. He wore a brown sweatshirt with khaki shorts and white sneakers. His eyes were fierce with intention. When he was a few feet away from Seth and Grace, he stopped to catch his breath. "Seth, there's a problem…at the gym…some guy is…destroying stuff… I think it might be Deuce."

"Calm down, Ray." Seth assuaged. "Go get Sarah; I'm sure she can help."

"No!" the boy, Ray, shouted, "Sarah's too far away, please come now!"

"Alright, come on Grace, I'll call Sarah on the way there." Seth said, getting up from his seat, and Grace did the same. The trio was then off and running towards the gym frantically. 'What has Deuce done this time?' Seth thought worriedly and Grace quickly picked up on the worry.

A/N: After the long wait, the new chapter is done! I spent quite some time on this chapter and I quite like it. The big jump in time is because I felt that the story was progressing too slowly and I don't like it when people fall completely in love with each other after seeing each other for five minutes.

In other news, if you haven't already. Check out my new story Darkness Reunited, and will somebody please review it. The number "2" annoys me, don't ask it just does, I don't care if it changes to "3" but I just don't want it to be "2" anymore! Yes I know that I am strange, but whatever. Also, I am helping a new writer, TomA62975, with his stories. Check out his stories, "Always Coming in Silver" and "The Guardian of the Forest" and please review. Lord Genesis Shadow and I are the only ones who seem to be reviewing.

Anyway, I apologize for the wait, but enjoy the chapter!


	11. Destruction

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

Seth, Grace, and Ray ran towards the gym. Taking Seth's car would have taken too long with traffic at that time of day. As they ran, Seth quickly pulled out his cell phone and called Sarah at the house.

After ringing a few times, Seth heard Sarah's voice say, "Hey Seth, what's up?"

"Someone is destroying the gym. Get over here as quickly as you can, and bring my Pokemon too!" Seth explained.

The line at the other end was silent, only the sound of Seth's heavy breathing. Finally, Sarah spoke, "I fucking hate Deuce!" She practically screamed that last part. "I broke up with him yesterday! I told him I finally got tired of his sexist, selfish, arrogant attitude and just told him to go to hell. I guess I should've taken him seriously when he said that he'd get revenge."

"Well that's in the past now, grab some Pokemon and get going!"

"I'm on my way," Sarah said panic stricken. Before hanging up, Seth heard Sarah shout, "Bruce! Ignis! It's ass-kicking time!"

Seth smiled at his younger sister. Bruce and Ignis had always been rivals, ever since they were just a Chimchar and Torchic. Seth knew that those two had to try to outdo each other, and that Deuce would soon feel the pain of that competitiveness on his pretty boy face!

(=)(=)(=)(=)

The trio arrived at the Creativita Gym to see that the Zangoose painting was completely torn from the wall, and the Blaziken wasn't fairing much better. Seth barged into the door and saw, standing in the middle of the arena, Deuce. He wore a camouflage vest with a brown shirt underneath and torn up, black jeans. An Emboar was torching the bleachers while a Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, and Hitmontop were destroying practically everything else. Deuce was grinning ear to ear at the destruction and mayhem that was unraveling before him.

"Deuce you bitch!" shouted Seth, grabbing the arrogant youth's attention.

Holding up a hand, Deuce signaled for his Pokemon to stop destroying everything and focus on a new target. "Well," sneered Deuce, "I think you're calling the wrong person a "bitch." You should be calling your selfish whore of a sister that! That self-righteous dog had the nerve to dump me! Me!" Deuce was shouting now, but quickly regained his calm composure and smiled Seth his false smile. "Anyway, since you're here, why don't I kick your ass first, then your sister's ass, then I may just kick the kid's ass, what do you think?"

Seth was enraged by the disgusting excuse of a person who stood, confidently, before him. "Two things," growled Seth. Deuce raised an eyebrow, curious to what Seth could possibly say to a person as glorious and victorious as himself. Grace looked on with a small bit of worry. She didn't like seeing Seth angry and she thought that if he didn't calm down soon things could get very ugly for everyone. Seth continued. "First, never call anyone, ANYONE, I know a "bitch!" Second, you are not that great and I'm now going to kick your ass!"

Deuce laughed. "You and who else? The kid? Your Gardevoir? She may be a psychic type, but against four fighting types, she stands no chance!"

"Oh really?" Seth asked, a goofy expression on his face. "Grace, show them what you've been training!"

"With pleasure!" shouted Grace with enthusiasm. Suddenly the Hitmontop flew up in the air and smacked against the ceiling painfully. The Hitmontop shouted in fear as Grace once again slammed the Pokemon against the ground, successfully knocking it unconscious.

Deuce's arrogant face quickly vanished as he saw one of his Pokemon go down without so much as a chance to fight back. Pulling out a Pokeball, Deuce quickly recalled Hitmontop, not saying anything. "Time to fight back," he murmured. "Emboar, use your flare blitz!" Deuce was shouting and frantically pointing at Grace.

Emboar grunted and ran towards Grace with wild abandon, his Reckless ability kicking in. Grace smiled and quickly teleported out of the way right as Emboar barreled right into Ignis. The two were knocked to the ground, a tangle of monkey and pig limbs. [Get the fuck off me!] screamed Ignis indignantly. The Emboar quickly got off and walked, slowly, back to his trainer, waiting patiently for the next command. [Goddamn, you walk into a gym and you get a motherfucking pig charging at you like a dumbass.]

Seth snickered and then Sarah appeared in the doorway, a look of absolute horror on her face. Her mouth was agape and her eyes were wide as dinner plates. "Deuce…" she trailed off, still trying to comprehend all that had happened to her once beautiful gym.

"Come to beg for forgiveness, bitch?" asked Deuce snidely, his false smile returning.

Sarah was looking at the burning bleachers, but her attention turned to Deuce, a cold look in her eyes. Suddenly, the cold seemed to melt away and was replaced with hell's fire all contained in Sarah's eyes. "What did you say? Bitch." Sarah asked slowly, accentuating each word.

Deuce's smile faltered, but soon returned. "What is a little girl, like you, going to do to a man like me?" Deuce crossed his arms, confident that he'd won.

"Ignis, kick Emboar' ass, Grace, kick Hitmonlee's and Hitmonchan's ass, Seth, sit there and look pretty, I want to kill Deuce personally." Everyone quickly took their positions. Seth sat down on a flaming bleacher, ready to jump in if someone needed help. Ignis grinned as he positioned himself across from the towering Emboar. It was big, but Ignis had more speed and experience. The two fire-fighting types launched at each other like only fighting types could. Paws and feet mixed as the two fought. Ignis soon got bored of the stalemate game, and decided to end it. Jumping up so that he was over Emboar's head, Ignis quickly grabbed onto one of the gym's rafters and hung there, swinging just to taunt the hulking brute below him, who was now desperately trying to jump and get Ignis. With a hoot, Ignis dropped down directly on the Emboar's head, delivering a powerful thunder punch at the same time. Emboar, surprised by the sudden attack, was left paralyzed but twitching. Ignis stood and admired his work, grinning a stupid grin.

Meanwhile, Grace was looking back and forth between the Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. The Hitmonchan chuckled. "Looks like your outmatched here, why don't you just go sit by your boyfriend over there." Grace looked over, keeping an eye on the duo of fighting types in front of her. She saw that the Hitmonchan was pointing directly at Seth, who just happened to be watching her. She quickly turned to the Hitmonchan, a noticeable blush appearing on her face. The Hitmonchan was roaring with laughter, until a barrage of leaves swept up from the ground mysteriously and launched themselves at the laughing boxer. They struck head on, sending Hitmonchan flying and then Grace launched a deadly thunderbolt at him, striking him in the chest and leaving him on the ground and twitching.

The Hitmonlee now had a panicked expression on his face, and was looking with wide eyes, at Grace who wore a devilish smile on her face. Suddenly, Grace turned to Seth and said sweetly, "Seth? Why don't you come here and test out your powers?"

Seth smiled at his chance to get in the action. Walking over and replacing positions with Grace, Seth squared off against the now confident Hitmonlee. "You ready?" Seth asked mockingly.

"A human against a Pokemon? You stand no chance against me!" The Hitmonlee retorted. He then quickly charged at Seth, using his extending legs to gain a bit of speed. Seth was ready for him, rolling out of the way of a rolling kick, Seth focused on the Pokemon and it was then encased in a shining blue aura. "What the hell?" screamed Hitmonlee as he struggled to break free of the harsh bonds holding him. Seth smiled and held up his other hand. A shadowy blob was forming into a ball, and soon, a perfect shadow ball was formed. Seth fired the deadly ball and soon hit its target right on his flank. "Gah!" shouted Hitmonlee as he flew into the side of the gym. After managing to get up, Hitmonlee looked at the human he'd once thought week. "W-what are you?" Seth just smiled raised his hand once more and another shadow ball formed, and launched, successfully knocking Hitmonlee out for the count.

A squeal surprised Seth and he felt two arms come around his midsection. Turning his head, he saw that Grace had hugged him, so he turned and gave her one in return. "You've gotten so strong!" Grace complimented, similar to how one would speak as if to a celebrity. Blushing, Grace stepped back and held her hands in front of her. Seth just smiled and pulled her back into the hug, enjoying just being that close with her, and Grace felt likewise.

Seth and Grace were interrupted by a shouting match in the middle of the gym. Deuce and Sarah were standing, facing each other in a battle of wills. "You whore!" shouted Deuce pushing out his chest to try to make himself seem bigger.

"You're calling me a whore?" screamed Sarah, who was unfazed by Deuce's dumb attempt to intimidate her. "Is that really the best you can do? Call someone a whore, who you know can kick your ass?"

"You'll pay for what you did, Sarah," Deuce threatened menacingly, completely ignoring Sarah's previous comment.

"Can you even listen to a word I-" Sarah was cut off when Deuce suddenly slipped a knife from his boot and wrapped one arm around Sarah's torso, the other holding the knife, poised to slash Sarah's throat.

Seth and Grace began to move to help, as did Ignis, but they stopped when they saw that Deuce began to press the knife into Sarah's skin, just barely avoiding cutting her. "Anyone moves," he warned, "And Sarah goes straight to the hell where she belongs!" Sarah, who was usually a strong person, began to cry. Deuce looked down at her and said, "Hey, baby, don't worry; tears don't fall from pretty babes when they're around Deuce." Sarah stopped crying and looked fearfully at Deuce.

Deuce began to back up out of the gym, pushing Grace and Seth out of the way. Soon, he was at the door, and the automatic doors opened up. The gym was flooded with a chilling wind that mimicked the mood of the gym, cold, unfeeling, and harsh. "I bid you all good day," taunted Deuce as he continued out the door. "But, I am afraid I-" Deuce grunted as he hit something solid, warm, and…soft? Looking up, Deuce looked into the deadly face of Bruce, the evening sun gleaming off of his red beak. Deuce stood, mouth gaping open at the sight of the terrifying bird behind him, but made no sound. He quickly withdrew the knife, and pushed Sarah out of his arms and into the open door of the gym. Smiling weakly at Bruce, Deuce attempted to flee, but he was cut short by a powerful arm pushing him back into place. Deuce looked, once more, into Bruce's face, and attempted to smile once again. This time, there was no escape. Bruce's arms flared up and he opened his mouth. Deuce's smile instantly faded as he saw what fate had in store for him. Suddenly, Deuce was engulfed inside the fire in a fiery blaze that burned and blistered Deuce's skin, charring some places black. Deuce finally managed to escape from the cascade of fire and ran, screaming, into the streets of Creativita, and finally dived into a small stream, but was not seen afterwards.

Sarah was holding herself up by the door frame of the ruined gym, as she had just watched the horrible execution of her ex-boyfriend. Bruce, after he finished burning Deuce, ran over to Sarah. Reaching out to her, Bruce dropped to his knees and said, "Sarah…I'm sorry…he would have…" Bruce trailed off.

Moving from her position in the doorway, Sarah walked over to the fallen Blaziken. Placing a hand on his shoulder, Sarah replied, "I know, it is okay, Bruce. You did what had to be done and I can't ask anything more of you." Bruce smiled and stood up to his full six foot one. Sarah gave Bruce a quick hug, released him, and then walked into the remains of the gym. Looking around at the destruction, Sarah held her head in her hands. "Motherfucker," murmured Sarah.

Seth looked around and saw why Sarah would say that. The bleachers were burning and more than half were collapsed. The Power Levelers were destroyed, which made it a miracle that none of Deuce's Pokemon were seriously injured. The gym floor was broken and cracked with a noticeable dent in the center. All of the walls were burned and charred; the support beams were melting away and dented. "I think that we might want to get out of here," Seth suggested.

The rest of the gang quickly nodded and exited the gym. On the outside, other than the peeling Blaziken and Zangoose, the gym looked perfectly fine. Suddenly, Sarah groaned, "Why did I break up with him today?"

Looking at her curiously, Seth commented, "Because, he's a son of a bitch, and a sexist pig."

Sarah turned to Seth, who had one arm wrapped around Grace, who now had an expensive looking black sweater on. Ignis and Bruce were standing next to each other, occasionally nudging each other, not letting one get a one-up on the other. "It's one week until the Creatia Festival, Seth. Don't tell me that you've forgotten!"

Seth put a hand on his forehead and exclaimed, "I did forget! The people always love coming to your gym to battle. They're gonna be pissed."

"Thanks for the confidence boost."

"Sorry, but if we want the gym to be in any sort of shape to battle in, we'd better get started repairing it. Let's go home and get the others, and then we'll decide how to do this." Seth stated and Sarah agreed. Turning to Ray, who had been standing on the sidelines, terrified, throughout the whole encounter, Seth asked, "Do you have any Pokemon that can help us?"

"Yep, I sure do!" Ray said happily. Pulling out a Pokeball, Ray through it up in the air and the usual bright light came out. Out of the Pokeball appeared a huge Pokemon with big muscles, probably the biggest nose on any Pokemon other than Nosepass, and a football shaped head. Orange, leathery skin encased the behemoth. Two solid concrete slabs were held in its hands, and it was leaning on them like walking canes. The Pokemon was a Conkeldurr, the muscular Pokemon. It gave a small grunt, letting everyone know that it was paying attention, and then seemed to turn to stone.

Ray was beaming and Sarah commented, "I never knew that you had a Conkeldurr, Ray. You've never used him in training."

"He's my strongest and my best buddy, right Conkeldurr?" Ray exclaimed, bouncing around like the little kid he was.

[Yes, my buddy] Conkeldurr said slowly. His voice was heavy and deep, the sign of one ancient and powerful. Conkeldurr gave a tiny smile as he examined the gym. [This shall be quite a challenge, but I think we can manage.] He put a hand on his chin, taking it off the slab, and seemed to enter deep thought, brown eyes calculating the precise measurements required. [Alright!] he commanded, [We'll need about ten, twenty-foot long, steel beams, and fifty pounds of concrete to get started!]

Everyone quickly dispersed in an attempt to get everything ready, although Grace did not understand what all of the fuss over the "Creatia Festival" was.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Shilonen region, a small meeting was coming to its conclusion. In the shady city of Delictum, two men sat in an abandoned warehouse, a table with a lone, lit candle resting on it was separating the two men. The candle caused eerie shadows to bounce along the wall as if they were alive. One man was the man that Seth had seen at the Pokemon Center the day that he'd brought Grace home. He was skinnier now, and his eyes had heavy bags under them. "Master," he cooed, "What is it that you want of me?"

"Master" was hidden in the shadows, although it was easy to see that he was a Tauros of a man, and he was dressed in an expensive suit that made the tattered jeans and shirt the insane man was wearing seem even more like dirt. "Vesanus," the Master said with the voice that one would use to hypnotize someone, which sent chills through the terrified man's spine. "I have heard that you've been looking for me. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir, very true, I have news of great importance!" Vesanus was rocking nervously on the stool he was sitting on, his hands intertwined.

"Speak," commanded Master, a disturbing edge creeping into his voice.

"It is about the Mark, sir." Master's eyes widened and he slammed his two ringed hands down on the table, nearly moving his face into the illumination of the candlelight.

"Who?"

"A man by the name of Seth Tenebrae, sir. I have been informed that you are familiar with him, sir."

Master's once eager face turned even more sickening as he heard the name of his target. "You're dismissed," Master said quickly.

Vesanus stood quickly and bowed, "Yes, sir!"

After he left, Master stood up slowly, a sick grin on his face. "This will be fun, this hunt," he said to empty air. "These Marks are powerful and the last one turned into little profit, but this new target, he is new and should be quite easy." Master walked over to where a shattered window was letting moonlight in. Whistling, Master summoned his prized Pokemon. A dark flash appeared across the windowsill and appeared by its master. Petting the Pokémon's head, Master said to it, "Zoroark, we are going hunting soon. It should be quite fun, tracking down my own son!" Mali cackled with laughter and continued. "I will kill him the same way I killed my bitch of a wife!"

A/N: One more down, and I have no idea how many more to go. I haven't forgotten about the crazy man, and now Seth's enemies will start appearing. I also haven't forgotten about Daron, he will be coming back in the chapter after next, everyone cheer for Daron!

On another note, there is a small contest included in this chapter, just for fun. There are four song references that I'm looking for. They are the exact titles of the song, and the first person to correctly name all of the songs and their artists will get a small reward. I hope you guys like this, but if you win, then you get to name the Glaceon character in my next one-shot and help me decide which of three plots I should use for it. A small hint, three of them are in this chapter and one of them isn't IN a chapter. Also, think about the type of music I listen to (check my page if you don't know) and that should give you an idea of the songs I'm looking for. Good luck, and remember this is primarily for fun.


	12. Can He Say It?

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

6 days later

Conkeldurr was hefting one of the final steel beams into place. The massive Pokemon was a genius with everything construction related, and, with his help, the gym was almost back in working order, and it would be operational in time for the Creatia Festival. As he hoisted the final beam back into place, he turned, grabbed his walking slabs, and admired the work. Using Seth and Grace's powers had really helped get everything organized and every other Pokemon, including Ray's Scyther and Gliscor had really help get everything prepared for the big festival. Taking one final look around, Conkeldurr announced [Everyone! We are done!]

After Seth translated for everyone, they cheered with great enthusiasm. The gym now looked even better than before. The old wooden bleachers had been replaced with individual chairs, similar to those in movie theaters; truly fitting of such a powerful gym. New paint coated the metal walls, and the mural on the wall had been completely redone. Where once were Pokemon were merely standing around, now they were in action. The Blaziken was now performing blaze kick, while the Zangoose dodged, preparing a shadow claw. The Smeargle was painting a portrait on an easel instead of battling, but a Shiftry was unconscious behind him, as requested by Umbra. The Espeon was shooting shining stars out of its gem, and a small Eevee was standing behind it. Although Dawn hadn't had the egg yet, she was close and Dusk was constantly by her side, always protecting her.

"Alright, guys and girls, good work with the gym, let's get rested, especially you, Bruce, Slash, and Brush, we're gonna have a week of battles goin' on for, and I want you in tip-top shape, more-so because we aren't going to have Dawn," Sarah said enthusiastically. Turning to Ray, Sarah thanked, "Thank you so much for your help, and yours too Conkeldurr."

"Thanks Miss Sarah!" Ray cried, hugging Conkeldurr. "And thank you, Conkeldurr."

Seth, who had been speaking with Fiore and Lacy, turned to Ray. "Ray, have you ever thought of giving your Pokemon names?" Ray turned to Seth with a quizzical look on his face. Smiling, Seth explained, "Names give you Pokemon identity, and I think it's kind of fun when people don't know what Pokemon you're sending out because you call them by name."

Nodding, Ray said, "Okay! Hmm, what should Conkeldurr's name be?" After thinking it over for several minutes, Ray's face lit up. "How about Slam?"

Laughing and pounding his canes on the ground, Conkeldurr, or Slam now, said [A fine name, friend!]

Seth quickly translated, and Ray smiled and hugged Slam. Turning to his other Pokemon, Ray gave names to each of them. "Scyther, how do you like the name Incisor?" The Scyther smiled slightly and nodded appreciatively. Ray smiled and turned to Gliscor. "Hey girl, how about I call you Skylar?"

Skylar, who'd been perched on a nearby lamp post, swooped down and wrapped Ray in a hug. [Thank you, Rayly!]

After Seth translated, Ray turned to Skylar and asked. "You call me Rayly?"

Skylar nodded, smiling from ear to ear. [Yep! It's my little nickname for you!] Skylar said giddily. Once again, Seth quickly translated and Ray smiled back at Skylar, Incisor, and Slam.

The group stood in silence for a while until Ray recalled everyone except for Skylar and began to walk home, leaving Sarah, Seth, Grace, and the rest of their Pokemon, save for Dawn, who was at home, resting with her mate, Dusk. Suddenly, Seth's phone went off. Digging it out of his pocket, Seth answered, "Hello?"

"Hey, Seth, it's Daron," was the monotone reply on the other end. "I'm just calling to let you guys know that I'm coming home soon."

Seth quickly had complete attention. "Hey, bro, how are you feeling?" Sarah urged Seth to put the phone on speaker, so he quickly pressed the button before Daron responded.

"Better." Daron replied, continuing in his normal monotone.

"Daron, it's Sarah, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I am fine. No, I am not contemplating suicide. Yes, I have more anger control. Yes, I've painted some more things to paint. No, I haven't fucked any girls in the past few months. Can I hang up now?"

Deciding it better not to argue, Seth conceded, "Fine, just hurry home, please, the Creatia Festival is almost here!"

"Okay, bye." Not even waiting for a response, Daron hung up and Seth and Sarah were left with a beeping phone line.

Sighing, Sarah said, "I hope that he really is alright. The last time he said that, he nearly kicked Dusk when he just wanted a little more food."

"You're right. I hope that he'll be back in time for at least part of the Creatia Festival." Seth agreed.

Grace had been standing on the edge of the group, but one burning question had finally gotten the best of her. "What is the Creatia Festival?" she asked, quickly covering her mouth.

Seth turned and smiled at Grace. "I'll explain back at the house. Are you coming Sarah?"

"Later, I have some business to take care of at the gym to get it ready for tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll see you back home."

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace were back at Seth's majestic mansion. They were in the living room with Seth sprawled out on the couch and Grace seated, with her legs pulled up in front of her, on one of the chairs that adorned the room. Gus was out buying things from the shop vendors that were setting up before the festival crowds arrived. They usually didn't sell things beforehand, but enough money seemed to persuade them to part with their treasured goods a little sooner.

Grace and Seth sat in silence, Seth smiling at Grace as she waited for Seth to give his answer to her question. Minutes passed and Seth said nothing; he just sat there with a goofy smile of his handsome face. Grace then caught onto his little game and finally asked, "What is the Creatia Festival?"

Chuckling at his little, rather stupid, joke, Seth sat up on the couch. "The Creatia Festival is a massive festival that celebrates the birth of this region." Grace nodded and urged Seth to continue. "It is held here in Creativita every year because this city was one of the first created, and also because other cities have to pay for entertainment, while here musicians play for free. The festival lasts a week, and during that time, the best of everything comes from all over Shilonen and even other regions. The best artists, most of which are already here, the best actors and actresses, the best Pokemon coordinators, the best battlers. We often have people such as gym leaders and Elite Four members come. Last year, for example, we had all of the Sinnoh Elite Four come, and we even had Cynthia join them!"

"What do people do during the festival?" Grace asked, her curiosity nearly bursting at the seams. This festival sounded so exciting.

Smiling wider, Seth thought, 'She's so adorable when she gets all childlike.' Thrusting his thoughts aside, Seth explained, "Well there is a lot to do at a festival such as this. Many people enjoy watching people battle at Sarah's gym, or going to the art museum, or they watch one of the many concerts going on. Vendors often sell a lot of interesting toys to play with, and some of them also set up small games. Also, just outside the city, there is a contest hall that people participate in. Finally, and my favorite, every night, including tonight, there are fireworks that light up the sky beautifully. What's even better is that I know a secret spot, the one my mother took my siblings and I to in order to look at the stars, that no one knows how to get to!"

Grace's eyes were shining with intrigue. "Can we see the fireworks, Seth? I've heard about them, but I've never seen them, and they sound wonderful!"

Seth laughed. He stopped when he saw Grace's hurt face, but said, "Yes, we can. And I wasn't laughing at you like I was mocking you, but because I thought that you were cute." Seth blushed heavily when he'd realized what he had just said. Grace was torn between happiness and giddiness. She was very excited at the prospect of being able to see the fireworks, but she was giddy with excitement at how embarrassed Seth was at thinking that she was cute!

Giggling at Seth's red face, Grace said, "Thank you very much!" Grace had to resist the urge to run and hug Seth, but desperately wanted to.

Seth pushed the hair out his eyes and then replied, "We'd better catch a nap or something because the fireworks tonight are at midnight!"

"Why are they so late?" Grace asked, trying to push Seth's compliment out of her head.

"Because, technically, midnight marks the beginning of a new day, so it just kicks off the whole festival. It's also fun to watch people who'd fallen asleep wake up and start screaming."

Grace laughed as Seth lay down on the couch and adjusted the pillow to make himself comfortable. She watched his as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness. Grace admired his calm, collected face, his slightly defined muscles, and even his breathing. Everything about him was just so perfect! 'If only he could ever love me,' Grace though dejectedly. Standing up, Grace started to make her way over to the couch opposite Seth, but stopped when a particular item caught her eye. The bottle of heat medicine was out, most likely because Mia had gone into heat earlier that week, and someone forgot to put it away. Suddenly, Grace was struck with a devious thought. 'The heat medicine makes psychic types irresistible," she thought. 'What if I…and Seth…' Grace reached one hand out as to grab the bottle, but quickly retracted it. 'NO!' she mentally admonished herself. 'I can't betray Seth like that, if he found out, then he'd probably hate me forever!' Grace plopped down on the couch opposite Seth, watching him. Grace started to tear up, thoughts of Seth never returning her love filling her head. A tear fell down her face, but she wiped it away, recomposed herself, and the laid her head down on a pillow and fell asleep, fantasizing about how her life with Seth would be if they were…mates…

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Eleven-thirty P.M.

Seth and Grace were now both awake and rested up for tonight. During his sleep, Seth had a strange dream. In it, he'd been holding hands with Grace, the two of them staring deeply into each other's eyes. However, something was off about Grace. She was larger than he'd known, like a woman would be if she was pregnant. Seth quickly shrugged off the dream as nothing more than his fantasies talking. For starters, he couldn't even get Grace pregnant, and he'd never even get that far with Grace…unless he tried… No! There was no way that Seth would ever want him, she'd want another Gardevoir, or a Lucario, or a…a…a… Seth's thoughts had trailed off and he was left staring at Grace, who was eating a small portion of her required Pokemon food.

Sarah and Gus had already gone down to Creatia, seeming to forget about the secret spot, in order to watch the fireworks from there. They'd been joined by most of the Pokemon, save for Fiore, who was asleep in a small patch of flowers in the garden, Mia, who couldn't leave the water for too long and wasn't too keen on the loud noise that the fireworks made, and Dusk and Dawn, who were busy preparing for the arrival of the egg.

Soon, Grace and Seth were ready to leave. Grace wore her sweater, which she had kept in pristine shape as it had been a gift from Seth. Seth wore a leather, black jacket over a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Seth opened the door to the night air, and a crisp breeze blew through the foyer, blowing Grace's dress up a little, revealing the legs that Seth would have loved nothing more than to caress. Forcing his thoughts away from Grace's body, Seth followed Grace outside, a flashlight held in his hand to light the way. Seth grabbed Grace's hand to lead her in the dark, but the act caused usually visible blushes on their faces. Fortunately, the darkness hid their embarrassment. Seth walked outside the gate, looked around to make sure that no one was looking, then began jogging, pulling Grace alongside him, towards the side of the house. Grace followed blindly, willing to let Seth take her wherever they were headed. Seth stopped abruptly at a group of trees that seemed impassable. Grace looked around for a small path or a way through the trees. Looking up, Grace noticed that the trees there, and for about a mile each way, were almost one hundred feet tall, dwarfing everything around them, and also showing the age of the place. Grace turned to Seth a nearly invisible, curious look on her face; the trees were grouped so closely together that someone would have to be a Linoone to fit through there. Grace opened her mouth to ask a question, but Seth put a finger to her lips, shushing her. Walking up to the trees, Seth began knocking on each one of them, listening for something. He finally found the one he was looking for and smiled when he did so.

Seth pushed on the trunk of the tree and the bark seemed to fall in on itself. After Seth pushed the bark down, a small path was revealed. Trees lined either side of a small, but clear dirt path. Grasping Grace's hand once more, Seth led her through the small winding path. He led her up and down small inclines and soon they had arrived at a large cliff face. Grace seemed a little hesitant to leave the cover of trees to go into a clearing near the edge of the cliff where moonlight was streaming down, creating a silver spot within the cover of green. With a little pull from Seth, Grace finally conceded and she stepped in the clearing. When she did, she gasped. Away from the trees, you could see the stars, the millions of shining, platinum colored stars. Each star seemed to twinkle like individual flashlights. They formed shapes and patterns, writing messages in the sky that one had to think about to decipher. The moon was full and stood proudly in the sky, casting its radiance on the vibrant landscape, almost as if a halo was placed on the angel of trees. Looking out over the cliff provided a view just as spectacular. Trees dominated the landscape, but they were off all shapes, and colors, and sizes, and ages. The forest stood strong, similar to how a person would stand up for something that they truly believe in. A river snaked through the forest, creating a noticeable, but well-placed, cut in the scenery. From up so high, Grace could see the moon's light glittering off of the water.

"Amazing isn't it?" Seth's voice broke into Grace's thoughts and pleasure. Normally, she would have been upset that someone had broken the silent wonder that the view provided, but she didn't care, because she got to hear Seth's voice again. "I fell in love with this view when I was a child. When my mother showed me that secret path, I would always come up here when I was feeling sad. I think I spent a full week up here after my mother died, and I know Daron has tried to jump of the cliff at least three times." Seth added that last part bitterly, but looked to the sky and felt better.

"It's beautiful," Grace said, returning her gaze to the sky as well.

Seth looked over at Grace. Her skin shone with silver radiance as she basked in the moonlight. Her eyes gleamed with amazement, her mouth, a small smile. In that smile, she showed many emotions, happiness, admiration, love, the same emotions Seth felt for her all the time. Seth continued to stare at the beauty in front of him. He saw the way her hair framed her soft face, her sweater contrasting her white skin, and her gorgeous, dancer-like body that practically called Seth to come and touch it, to feel it, to be part of it. Overtaken by emotions, Seth failed to notice that he was unwittingly walking towards the cliff. Suddenly, the solid ground stopped and thin air began. Seth screamed a silent scream as he began to fall, but Grace had been secretly watching him out of the corner of her eye. She nearly cried out as Seth began to plunge. Thinking quickly, Grace grabbed Seth with her powers and began pulling him up. Soon, he grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up into Grace's awaiting arms.

Grace embraced Seth as he stood up. She buried her face in his chest, taking in his scent, and cried. She cried because she had nearly lost the one she loves, and it was as easy as taking one simple step. She was scared, scared for Seth, scared for what she would do without him, her savior, her secret love, her best friend. "Don't leave me," Grace unconsciously wept.

Holding her close, Seth replied, "I wouldn't dream of it." Suddenly, a new urge awoke in Seth. He had to tell Grace he loved her. If he died without Grace knowing that he did love her, then Seth probably wouldn't even have the strength to come back. He desired to be able to kiss Grace, to hold her close for the rest of his life, to tell her he loved her every day, to be able to confess anything to her, to be able to make love with her. After all the rape that she'd been through, she deserved nothing but the highest pleasure. She deserved someone amazing. 'Someone better thank me,' Seth thought, eyes watering as he thought of spending the rest of his life without Grace. As Seth's mind warred with itself, Seth's heart took control. Without his consent, Seth confessed, "Grace. I would never leave the one I…I…I…" Seth trailed off, finally regaining control of himself. Seth gritted his teeth and squinted his eyes in frustration about his inability to say just three simple words. Three short, easy words, that without each other meant nothing. Grace looked up from Seth's shirt, confusion clear on her face. Seth looked into her pretty face, her lovely eyes, her pale skin, her soft lips. Losing control of his actions once again, Seth quickly brought Grace into a passionate kiss.

Grace gasped in surprise as Seth pressed his lips against hers. However, she soon melted into the kiss, emanating sheer joy and passion. After several minutes, the two broke for air.

"Grace," Seth breathed in a small voice. Seth looked at her face once more, taking in all of her features once more. Seeing the hopeful expression and the giddy smile that Grace wore gave Seth all of the confidence he needed to finally manage to say those three simple words, which meant nothing without each other. He finally managed to choke out, "Grace, I love you."

Grace began tearing up once more. She took Seth's hands in hers and moved her head up next to his ear. In a soft, sweet tone, she whispered, "I love you too, Seth." Grace moved back, staring at Seth's features, as she often did. The two moved closer, holding their faces just an inch apart, admiring each other once more before they kissed. Their lips touched right as the first, red and gold firework sprinkled down in the sky, illuminating the two lovers like the fire of their passion.

A/N: I don't feel I should say too much here. Review and enjoy.


	13. Abigail

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

A/N: I am starting this author's note at the beginning of this chapter because I just want to say a few things. First, thanks for all of the positive feedback on the last chapter; especially considering I was writing it at two in the morning. Second, I am writing a new one-shot about a Glaceon morph, and since no one tried my little contest I had to get a name from Lord Genesis Shadow. The contest still stands only now you'll get to pick the title of the story. To help you out I will give you the names of the artists that the songs are by and who said the line that they're in, or who they refer to.

System of a Down-Probably the hardest because it's one word-Mali

Disturbed-Bruce and Deuce

Bullet for My Valentine-Deuce

Avenged Sevenfold-Chapter Title

Well now that the contest is out of the way, read, enjoy, and review the next chapter!

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron was rolling down route ten in his black Jaguar, the band Asking Alexandria blasting on the radio. A stack of paintings rocked in the back seat whenever Daron took a sharp turn. For the past few months he'd been going from place to place, painting whatever he saw. His paintings were of the sky at sunset, a dark cave with a Misdreavus and Mismagius floating inside, watching the viewer as if they were a threat. The third was a cityscape, looking over the busting City of Kinsme. Daron rode down the deserted route. Most people stayed away from route ten because of its unnatural weather. One moment it could be perfectly sunny, then pouring down rain the next, or in the middle of a hailstorm. Daron always preferred to take it because it was alone, no one to shove their opinions down his uncaring throat, no one to annoy him, no one to remind him of his mother.

As Daron rode, enjoying the solitude he entered deep thought, taking his attention of the narrow, straight road. 'Why does life seem to hate me? So few people have to deal with all the shit I deal with, except maybe that famous trainer Ash Ketchum, he always had shit to deal with!' Daron smiled on the inside, though his face remained stoic. 'Even my own siblings don't even understand. Hell, I don't understand why I'm so miserable sometimes, but still… They could care a little more…why don't they understand…the pain is so deep…life is so hard…fuck!' Daron had gone into such deep thought that he'd start to drift off to sleep. His mind seemed to do this right as the eclectic weather changed suddenly. Whereas Daron had originally been driving in the middle of a dry heat, he was now in the middle of a thunderstorm. A booming thunder broke the silence of the sky and snapped Daron to attention. He looked around, blue eyes frantically scanning the area around him. Rain was falling down in buckets, obscuring Daron's view so that it was like when someone opened their eyes underwater. A bolt of lightning announced its presence with a terrifying flash that quickly turned the black sky white then back to black. Thunder soon followed, filling the air with a sound not unlike that of a roar. Daron was panicking at this point. His wheels were squealing as they attempted to find much needed traction. They soon started slipping, causing Daron to lose control of his vehicle. The car started spinning and Daron was in the middle of his own personal tornado, the rain, thunder, and lightning still pounding the landscape. The spinning was cut short and a loud crash echoed through the forest as the rear end of Daron's car slammed into a tree, scattering the sheltered Bird Pokemon.

Daron, after recovering from his shock, stepped out of the car, into the freezing rain, and examined his car. The trunk was completely flat, shattered glass from the lights was scattered around, but it was being carried off by the small streams that the rain made. As Daron was examining the car, a lightning bolt flew through the sky and hit the tree branch that was perched over Daron's car. Daron jumped back and watched as the charred branch crashed onto his car, caving the roof in and destroying his paintings. "Fuck!" shouted a very pissed off Daron. He put his hand on the top of his soaked head and looked both ways down the road. Since he'd spun, Daron had lost track of which way he'd come. The forest looked even on both sides, but Daron saw a small orb of light about three miles from where he stood. 'Delictum,' Daron thought. Deciding that he was better off walking, Daron buckled his overcoat, pulled on his hood and walked off in the direction of the lights.

Daron walked slowly through the rain and thunder. It seemed that the wetter he got, the angrier he became, though his face still remained like a rock. As Daron trudged on, the wind became harsher. It blew and howled like a screaming banshee coming to claim its next victim. The wind was ruthless as it cut through Daron's coat and clothes as if they were not even there, chilling Daron's body to match his cold soul. Daron began to run, not caring that it probably wouldn't help, it at least made it seem like Daron was getting somewhere. However, the wind was soon too much for Daron's rather thin body to take and Daron was blown off the road and he fell onto the wet ground, staining his skin and clothes with mud. Daron attempted to get up, but was blown back even further. Frustrated, he conceded to looking for a cave or at least a rock to take shelter. After crawling on his hands and knees like a wild Pokemon, Daron found what he was looking for. The mouth of a cave stood, looming over the ravaged forest around it, standing strong whereas its weaker surrounding were blown and torn. Daron quickly scrambled over to the slab of light grey rock and made his way inside.

The inside was just as Daron had expected, dark, barren, but relatively warm and dry. Daron quickly stood and faced the mouth of the cave, looking outside at the storm that had nearly taken his life. He watched as the storm continued its rampage, practically begging Daron to come and die in it. Daron watched as the rain fell, making splashes that mocked Daron by reminding him of when he was a child and would splash in the pool. The thunder reminded him of his father, the bull that he was. The lighting seemed to mock his mother. She was there with great vigor and strength, but was soon gone into oblivion, followed by the booming laugh of thunder. Daron's thinking was clouded by rage, rage at everything, rational or not. He couldn't contain his anger any longer.

"Fine, Arceus, fine!" Daron roared above the thunder. "If you fucking want me dead, then I'll join you in hell!" Daron looked at the floor of the cave, the solid rock bearing the weight of Daron's boots. He soon spotted what he was looking for. A rock, with a point rivaling that of a sword. Daron bent down and picked it up, examining it. Smiling a twisted smile, Daron looked up to the blackened sky. "I'm coming, Arceus! You want me dead? Well so do I!" Daron cackled and aimed the rock at his neck, ready to release the ichor of life from his body, ready to stain the gray rock red, ready to spill the same blood that had once flown through his mother! Daron's eyes began to spill tears even though his face was smiling. They were not tears of joy, nor tears of sadness; Daron was not even sure if the tears were his, but still the fell. Pressing the rock against his skin, Daron took a breath and whispered, "I'm coming home, Mommy."

Right as Daron was about to plunge the stone into his neck, a small voice rang out through the cave, echoing in the vast emptiness. "Absol?" it said. Daron, stunned at what he'd heard turned and saw what he'd least expected to see. An Absol was standing there, though it was obvious that it wasn't in perfect condition. Its fur was matted and long, a clear lack of grooming. Where a proud horn once stood was now nothing, any trace of a stump covered by brownish-white fur. Though its body looked hurt, its eyes were small balls of fire. The Absol looked nervously at the human, and then noticed the position of the rock at his neck. Realizing what the human was about to do, Absol quickly jumped forward and knocked the rock out of the stunned human's hands. Turning to the human, Absol chastised, "Are you crazy? Were you planning to kill yourself? That's horrible!"

Daron looked at the Absol, stunned beyond belief that the creature that he'd been searching for since he was a kid was now standing in front of him, talking to him, saving his life. Though Daron didn't precisely know what the Absol was saying, but by its body language and tone, Daron assumed it was admonishing him. Daron looked at the Absol, admiring its white fur that shone through the dirt, its black skin contrasting well with its fur, its beautiful eyes and strong face. Though it was lacking a horn, Daron thought that this was the Absol he had been searching for. As Daron recovered from the shock of finding the Absol, he realized just how close he'd come to losing his life at his own hands. He looked at his hands, hands that would have quickly become those of a killer. Suddenly, Daron sat down hard, and slumped against a wall, his own melancholy tears falling down his face.

Absol watched confusedly at the human that had once seemed so strong, break down like a small pup. It felt sorry for the human, if he had wanted to steal his own life away from him, then his life must have been truly horrible, like its. "Sol?" it said quietly, gently nuzzling Daron's arm.

Daron looked at the Absol who was waiting patiently for a reply from him. "Um…hi…" Daron said through sobs. Looking a little closer at the Absol, he saw that it was a girl. "Um…" Absol giggled at the human's awkwardness. Daron watched as the Absol giggled, and a warm feeling seemed to fill the cold empty shell of Daron's body.

"Ab Absol!" Absol yipped, happy that the human had stopped crying.

Daron wiped his face on his sleeve, which had dried enough so that it provided a bit of warmth. For the moment, Daron felt like a child again, wiping away tears, his mother in front of him. Only instead of his mother there was an Absol. Daron's face dropped and Absol instantly saw. Coming over, she placed her paws on Daron's shoulders and began to playfully lick Daron's face, replacing tears with saliva. Daron tried to move out of the way, but Absol kept on following wherever Daron's head went, smiling the whole time. "Stop it, girl. Stop, it tickles," Daron complained, but all it seemed to do was encourage Absol further. Suddenly, Daron was overtaken by a sound that hadn't come out of his mouth in several years. A laugh. Daron's laugh was warm and hearty, reverberating through the cavern. The laugh warmed Daron's chilled body and filled him up with good feelings. A smile broke through the stone mask that had been Daron's face. With the smile came feelings of hope, feelings of happiness, feelings of lightness. Daron felt giddy and excited, white teeth flashing brightly.

Finally, satisfied with the fact that the human before her was happy, Absol climbed off of Daron and sat down, wagging her tail happily. Daron caught his breath, a smile still plastered on his face, tears of joy streaming down his face. After his breathing returned to normal, Daron looked at the Absol. He'd always said that he needed to be happy to paint Absols, but he never knew why. Now he knew. Absols made him happy. They could bring him back from the darkest of places within his mind and make it seem as if nothing could go wrong in the world.

"I think thanks are in order," Daron stated, confidence was clear in his voice. The Absol tilted her head and looked at Daron quizzically. "You brought me back," Daron explained, "With such a simple act, you brought me back from the brink of death, and you didn't even know who I was. I don't think that I'd have been that good of a person. I hated my life, I thought that there was nothing worth living for, but you've made me realize the error of my ways. There's always something to live for, you just have to look hard enough." Daron finished his speech and the Absol leapt onto him, knocking him down and licking his face, happy to have made such an impact in such a small way. Daron laughed once more and brought Absol into a small hug.

When he released her, Daron looked at her face and said, "You need a name." Absol smiled happily and Daron chuckled. "Since I'm unoriginal, I think I'll call you, Abigail, or Abbey for short." Abigail shrugged and the yawned. Still on top of Daron, she curled into a small ball and quickly fell asleep on Daron's warm stomach. Daron smiled contently, happy to finally feel…well happy. He slowly rubbed the fur on Abbey's back and she purred sweetly. "Goodnight, Abbey," Daron said slowly, falling asleep as well.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Meanwhile, Grace and Seth were kissing on top of the cliff that Seth's mother had taken him to. The two were melting into the kiss, joy emanating from each participate and flowing into the other. Seth wrapped his arms tightly around Grace, feeling the softness of her sweater, and Grace placed her arms on Seth's shoulders, putting her hands on the back of his head in an attempt to strengthen the kiss. All the while, fireworks were exploding into brilliant colors. Vivid reds, warm yellows, cool blues, grass-like greens, and lively purples lit up the sky, temporarily changing the color from black to that color. The stars faded in and out of view as the colors flashed.

Finally, Seth and Grace broke for air, a small trail of saliva connecting the two, glistening in the moonlight. Seth stared lovingly into Grace's eyes, ecstatic that he'd had the courage to finally tell Grace how he felt, and thrilled that Grace had returned his feelings. Grace was feeling just as joyous and she snuggled her head into Seth's chest, hearing his powerful heartbeat like a drum. "I love you, Grace," Seth whispered, slowly beginning to rock back and forth, almost like a dance.

Grace yawned and looked at Seth, into his kind brown eyes and said, "Let's go home, love," She whispered the last word in a breathy tone, amazed that she finally could say it in a place other than her dreams.

"Anything you want," Seth responded, eager to please his newfound lover. The two smiled and began to walk down the small path. Grace leaned against Seth, her arms wrapped around Seth's left arm, and Seth would occasionally lean over and plant a kiss on her head. The two made their way through the forest, through the tree, which Seth closed back up so that it looked just like any other, and walked into the house. The lights were still off, a sign that Sarah and Gus were not home yet. Seth turned on the lights and both he and Grace blinked as their eyes became adjusted to the light. "Let's check on the other Pokemon and then we will get some sleep," Seth said calmly.

Grace merely nodded in response, eager to check on the others and then get to bed, with the man she loved. Seth and Grace walked down the hall, arm in arm, to the indoor/outdoor pool area where Mia was swimming around. She slowly surfaced and grew wide-eyed at the sight in front of her. Her master and friend were holding each other's arms and they seemed to exude sheer happiness. [Seth, are you…and Grace?] Mia asked slowly, still astonished at what she saw.

"Yes, Mia, we are," Seth said, not explicitly saying the word "love." Seth looked at Grace and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

Mia smiled and did a back flip into the pool, barely creating a ripple. She surfaced once again and said, [I am very happy for you two, and I wish you the best, but, Seth, try not forget about the rest of us; Ignis gets grouchier when he doesn't get his training in.]

Grace giggled and said, "I don't think that will be a problem. Grace grasped Seth's hand and squeezed it tightly. Mia smiled once again and then disappeared into the pool. Turning to Seth, Grace asked, "Shall we check on the others?" Seth nodded and Grace smiled and kissed him passionately.

The two checked on Dawn and Dusk, who were both as happy as Mia that Seth and Grace were finally together, although they were a little distracted because Dawn was so close to laying her egg. When Grace and Seth checked on Lacy and Fiore, they found them both sound asleep. Seth smiled at Grace, who wore one just as big. She leaned in and kissed Seth's nose playfully, giggling in the process. Seth led Grace up the stairs, across the hall, and stopped where their separate rooms were entered. Grace gave Seth a hopeful look and Seth said, "Why would you even think otherwise?" Grace smirked, but gave way to a small laugh and they both entered what had once been only Seth's room. Grace undid her arm from Seth's and slowly floated over to where the bed was and she sat down, remembering the night that Seth and her had first shared a bed, remembering the first time they kissed, but that one had been from a medicine, this was true love.

Grace watched as Seth undressed down to his boxers, unafraid to do so in front of Grace, and she removed her sweater, leaving only her dress. Seth quickly pulled on his sleeping clothes and made his way over to the bed, turning off the lights in the process. Seth brought the covers down and he and Grace slipped under them. Seth turned and faced his love, smiling. Grace did likewise then moved as close as she could to Seth, wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling her head in his chest. Seth put his arms around Grace in a tight embrace, and whispered, "Grace, I love you so much, please never wake me up unless you're right here with me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Grace whispered back. The two gave each other a small kiss and then slowly drifted off into sleep.

A/N: I have been greatly looking forward to writing this chapter. I love the scene with Daron and Abbey. Anyway, please try my contest, if just for fun. Also, review!


	14. Kindness of Different Kinds

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

The next morning, Seth awoke to the most beautiful sight that he'd ever laid his eyes on. His beautiful love was there, a mere inch from his face, sleeping quietly. Grace slept soundly and Seth stared, wanting nothing more than to just sit there and stare at her pretty face. He slowly moved in towards Grace and placed a small kiss on her forehead. Grace stirred slightly, and opened the eyes that melted Seth every time he saw them. Grace smiled and put one hand on her love's face. There was one burning desire left in Grace. To be able to call Seth her mate. She quickly pushed the dirty thought from her mind and turned her attention back to the man in front of her. She moved in and kissed Seth on the lips for a long time. Seth broke the kiss slowly and, once more, gazed upon his lover's face. "Good morning, Grace" Seth whispered slowly.

"Good morning to you, handsome," Grace replied a smile accompanying the small compliment.

Seth smiled and pulled Grace into a deep hug, enjoying just being so close to her. The two separated and laid their heads on Seth's pillow, Grace's forehead against Seth's. "I love you," Seth stated, giving Grace's cheek a small kiss on the cheek.

"I love you too," Grace said, returning Seth's kiss with one of her own. Grace looked up at the ceiling. She thought about last night, the amazing fireworks, the beautiful scenery, Seth telling her he loved her, but the most prominent memory that came to mind was nearly losing Seth. She didn't know what she would do if Seth was gone. Grace wrapped her arms around Seth's arm, reassuring herself that he was still there, with her, and that he wasn't going anywhere.

Seth gently rubbed her arm and then said, "As much as I would love to stay here with you, love, I do have to use the bathroom and take a shower." Grace giggled and then released Seth's arm, allowing him to get up and stretch. The sun shone through the large window in Seth's room and it outlined Seth's body as he stretched; Grace sighed at the sight. Turning to face her once more, Seth whispered, "I'll be back, love." Seth walked across the room, stealing one more look at the person, no, Pokemon, that he loved, and he entered the bathroom.

A quick glance in the mirror was all it took to nearly send Seth on his knees. Whereas he was used to see the usual melancholy expression that the man in the mirror wore, he now saw a man with a joyous, childlike expression. Seth stared at the mirror, remembering that the last time the man wore the smile was one Seth had slept in the same bed as Grace. Overjoyed with the revelation, Seth quickly relieved himself, than began running the water into the massive tub, waiting for it to heat up and began to strip. When he was completely nude, Seth felt the water temperature. It was hot, but not scalding, just as Seth preferred. Pulling the small tab up, the faucet stopped and the showerhead began its cascade. Seth stepped in the shower and drew the curtain closed, letting the heated water warm his body. Seth stood there for a few minutes, water plastering his hair to his forehead, and reflected upon the events of the prior night. 'One month, I think,' Seth thought. 'I fell in love with her one month ago; the day she revealed everything her master did to her.'

_Seth and Grace were seated opposite each other, a roaring fire warming the chilled home. It was late at night, and Grace had been unable to sleep, so Seth, being the caring person he was, began to talk to her about it._

"_Why can't you sleep?" he asked tiredly, trying his best not to sound irritated that Grace had disturbed his slumber._

_Grace rubbed her eyes and looked at her hands which were clasped together and cradled in her lap. She felt guilty for waking Seth at such an hour, but she felt that she needed someone that she could completely trust. "I-I-I don't know," she lied, glancing up at Seth, than back down at her hands._

_Seth, a little more awake now, raised an eyebrow. "You're a terrible liar," he commented. Grace's face turned downcast, and Seth felt a pang of guilt from her. "Grace, look at me," Seth commanded. Grace obliged and looked right into Seth's deep brown eyes. "Now," he continued, smiling slightly to calm Grace, "Why can't you sleep?"_

_Grace began tearing up and seemed to slink back into the couch, wishing nothing more than to sink into its cushions. "Memories," she whispered ever so slightly. Seth strained to hear, but nodded for Grace to continue. "Those memories of him," Grace said, a little louder, but Seth was still trying to hear her. Grace sobbed and began choking up a little, but cleared her throat and tried to relax using a technique that Seth had taught her; calm mind. Grace took a deep breath and soothed her frayed nerves and loosened her stiff muscles._

"_What memories of whom?" Seth inquired, although he had a sneaking suspicion of who Grace was talking about._

_Without warning, Grace's face burst into tears and she leapt up from the couch and flew over to Seth, landing in his warm embrace. She wrenched his shirt and wailed, "All those things he did to me!" Seth, completely taken aback by Grace's sudden outburst, pulled Grace into a tight hug and rubbed her back slowly. After a few minutes, Grace looked at Seth and said, "I need to tell you everything. Everything he did." Seth adjusted himself so that Grace's horn was no longer impaling his chest, wordlessly asked Grace to continue. Steeling her nerves, Grace placed a hand on Seth's forehead and the two entered Grace's memories._

_Inside Grace's memories was a terrifying place. Images flashed before Seth's mind. A Kirlia, mercilessly being beaten with a stick by a Machoke, a man raping the Kirlia, a terrible, hungry look in his eyes, the Kirlia being placed inside a box filled with water, barely able to keep its head above the water as the on looking man and Pokemon laughed, and worst of all, Kirlia, with its hands and feet impaled with bloody rods. Attached to the rods were ropes that burrowed into the Kirlia's skin, turning white to red. The ropes came up from the Kirlia and Seth saw the man, controlling her like a puppet. The Kirlia cried out whenever the man pulled on one of the ropes, causing the ropes to dig in further and the rods to slip and twist in the wounds. Seth then felt an unimaginable amount of pain. It wasn't just physical pain, but deep, twisted, emotional pain that rocked Seth's very core. Suddenly, the pain was gone, replaced by what felt like water, carrying away the pain inside his body. Seth then saw a young Kirlia, wrapped in his arms, feeling safe and sound, although blood was dripping from one shoulder._

_Snapping back to reality, Seth looked at Grace and removed one of her long green gloves, and looked at her hand. In the middle of it was a small circle, a darker shade of white than the rest that Seth hadn't noticed. Seth looked at Grace's face. Her face was tormented with past memories. Seth pulled her in close to him, trying to calm her sadness. Grace gripped Seth's shirt and closed her eyes, just enjoying being around Seth. Seth placed one hand on Grace's back and said slowly, "Grace, that's in the past now. You may bear the scars, but remember, you are stronger now, and he will never touch you again. That which does not kill you is only asking for revenge later down the road." Grace giggled and Seth smiled before putting his head back against the chair they were on, and slowly began rocking back in forth._

As Seth was dreaming, he did not hear the sound of a door handle turning. A figure entered the room, which was filled with steam and the heat felt nice against the figure's body. The figure quickly removed its clothing and slung it over a hook on the door. It slowly, nervously, moved the shower curtain away and moved in behind Seth, the water just barely splashed the figure's feet. The figure moved behind Seth and wrapped its arms around his torso, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Seth whirled around and then relaxed when he saw who had wrapped their arms around him. Grace was now standing in front of Seth, blushing heavily as she watched Seth take in her naked form. Seth stared at Grace's beautiful body. Her hips curved in, her legs were long and thin, but looked powerful, her breasts were small, but Seth didn't care. Grace, likewise, took in Seth's body. His muscles seemed to exude the same power that they had when Grace first saw them back in the Pokemon center after Seth had been shot. She admired his strong face that had always been a sight to behold and she looked into his deep brown eyes that always made her weak in the knees. Finally, she looked at his manhood. He was particularly large, at least in a Gardevoir's perspective, but he didn't look too big for Grace. Grace blushed heavily as she found herself imagining her and Seth doing the act that would solidify the two as mates.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, awkwardly staring at each other until Seth finally made the first move. Taking one of Grace's bare hands, Seth pulled her into the stream of warm water, causing it to fall down her body. Grace stared into Seth's eyes as he smiled then looked at the discolored area on her hand. He gently kissed the small circle area and said, "I only wish I could've been there to kiss it when it was open." Grace merely smiled at him and placed a kiss on his cheek, taking her other hand and moving Seth's hair out of his face.

Grace then moved up to Seth's ear and whispered, "I'm just happy that you're here with me now, love." She lowered herself and Seth stole a quick kiss on her lips then pulled her in close. After several minutes, Seth and Grace separated. "We'd better actually get clean in the shower," Grace suggested playfully.

"I guess that's what they were designed for," Seth conceded then turned and picked up the bar of soap, lathered it in his hands, and began to scrub Grace's body, careful around her more private areas. Although Seth wanted to be able to call Grace his mate, he wanted to be sure that she was ready. Grace did likewise, and the two quickly got out of the shower, dried off, and dressed in their daily clothes, Grace slipping her sweater over her usual dress.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace walked down the stairs slowly, arm-in-arm once again, and made their way down the hall into the doorway of the living room. Inside, Sarah was in sweatpants and a t-shirt, her hair was up in a loose bun, and she was watching TV. Seth and Grace looked at each other, then grasped each other's hands and walked, proudly, into the room. Sarah, noticing the two enter exclaimed, "Seth, you have to see this!" Sarah pointed to the television set and Seth and Grace turned. On the screen was a reported in front of a mangled car.

Seth and Sarah looked at each other. A silent word was shared between the two. "Daron." On screen, the reporter began speaking, so Sarah quickly turned up the set. "And in other news, this car has been found, completely wrecked, after discovering a man in a cave with a Pokemon. Apparently, the weather here on Route Ten took a turn for the worse, causing the man, who will not be named by request, to lose control of the vehicle and slam into the tree. The man was checked out at the hospital in Delictum, and was found only to have minor injuries." Seth and Sarah let out the breath that they both had been holding. "The man was with a badly injured Pokemon, but it is unknown if it was his or not, and she is now being examined at the Pokemon center in Delictum. The two will be flown back to their home in Creativita, just in time for the Creatia Festival, which will be covered next. Back to you, Stan."

Sarah cut off the set and turned to Seth and Grace who were curiously interlocked in both their arms and hands. Putting two and two together, a large grin came over Sarah's face, and Seth looked uneasy. "Seth, brother, are you with your Gardevoir?" she asked playfully, putting on an innocent face. "Cuz you look like you are a lot closer to her than you have been."

"Okay, Sarah enough," Seth commanded and Sarah and Grace giggled. Seth, with a noticeable blush on his face continued, "Yes, Grace and I are in love." Sarah looked at him incredulously. "Sarah, I am in love with Grace," Seth stated firmly, staring at Sarah right into her eye.

"That's better," she said, smiling once more. "You really need to work on your scary voice," Sarah teased as she picked herself up from the couch and made her way into the doorway. Right as she was about to go she turned and said, "I am happy for you, but until the Creatia Festival is over, I'd stay low if I were you."

Seth nodded and Sarah walked down the hall and Seth heard her climb the steps. Seth and Grace came into the kitchen where a plate of pancakes for each of them was already made and still hot to boot. Seth and Grace grabbed their plates and poured syrup and butter on them, Grace grabbing a cup of Pokemon food to help supplement her diet. The two sat down next to each other, joined by Fiore and Lacy who sat opposite them.

"Good morning, girls," Seth said warmly. Fiore and Lacy looked at Seth and Grace and then at each other, whispering something between them. Seth looked over, a little concerned. "Everything alright?" he asked, straining in an attempt to hear what they were saying.

[Seth,] Lacy started. [Fiore and I were wondering, if you two were…umm…] She trailed off, a small blush on her face.

[Have you and Grace mated yet?] Fiore blurted innocently.

Grace choked on a bit of pancake and Pokemon food that she was chewing, coughing it up into a napkin that lay next to her. Seth, who was red as a Cheri berry, patted her back until Grace nodded that she was okay, in which case he stopped patting, but continued to rub it. Turning to Fiore and Lacy, he asked, "First off, who told you that we were partners? Secondly, Fiore, you don't blurt those things out."

[Oh, I am sorry, Daddy,] Fiore replied, looking at the floor, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Seth's not mad at you, Fiore," Grace assuaged, reaching over the table and placing a gentle hand on Fiore's shoulder. Fiore looked up into Grace's soft, smiling face, and smiled herself. "He was just correcting you," Grace explained, and the young Fiore nodded understandingly.

[Well have you?] urged Lacy, motioning for Seth to answer.

"How about you answer my question, then I will answer yours. Who told you about us?"

[Dawn and Dusk,] Lacy explained. [They kind of told everyone except for Sarah and Gus.]

Seth nodded and laughed. "Well, no harm done, I guess. It was bound to come out sooner or later, but why not the day after it happens." Everyone at the table laughed, a warm atmosphere entering the dining room.

"To answer your question, ladies," Grace stated, being the first to calm down. "No, Seth and I have not mated…yet." Grace added the last part with a slightly suggestive tone that both Fiore and Lacy failed to notice, but Seth definitely did.

"Well let's finish breakfast, then we'll head to the festival," Seth said, giving a glancing look at Grace. Grace responded by putting one hand below the table and slowly rubbing the inside of Seth's thigh.

'Tonight,' they both thought with determination, neither one realizing that the other had the same thought.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Back in Delictum, Daron stood outside the Pokemon Center's healing room, anxiously waiting for the red light to turn off so he could make sure that Abbey was alright. He paced back and forth across the long hallway, frustrated that he couldn't see as that particular healing room did not have a large window, or any window. He glanced inside several of the other windows, and became saddened by the amount of Pokemon in pain. Some were suffering from sickness, others from severe injuries. One room held three young Pokemon, a Cyndaquil, a Munchlax, and a Shinx. The three Pokemon were all in rough shape, cuts and bruises littered their bodies, and the Shinx looked to have a broken paw. Outside the room, a young boy was balling his eyes out. He looked to be about ten, a new trainer, with a blue hat, orange t-shirt, and khaki shorts.

"Are you alright?" Daron asked, surprised that he actually cared about the young child. The young child looked at Daron then jumped a little. Daron nodded, understanding that a strange man, wearing creepy clothes, just talking to you would be a little freaky. "Don't be afraid, I'm just here to talk," Daron said, attempting to put some emotion into his voice.

The child sniffed then his eyes widened. "I know who you are, my sister talks about you a lot!" Daron raised his eyebrows and motioned for the child to continue. "You're Daron Teneb-something, right?"

Daron nodded solemnly and said, "Yes, you're correct, but you haven't answered my question."

The child once again broke down into tears. "I hurt my Pokemon. We were battling outside Delictum, and I told them to go as hard as they could, but they got hurt so bad when we faced a trainer with a Zoroark!" The child began wailing and Daron simply patted his shoulder.

"Were you battling outside, in the forest?" Daron asked and the child nodded. "You must be very careful when battling out in the wild. You don't have the power reducers that you generally do in cities, so Pokemon can easily get hurt worse than you'd expect them to, as what happened to you. Instead of telling them to go all out, tell your Pokemon to hold back slightly. And if a trainer does go all out, just abandon the battle, there is no shame when you are trying to keep your Pokemon healthy. Understand?"

"Yeah," the boy responded. Wiping his face on his arm, he said, "My name is Chase, by the way."

Right as Daron was about to say something, a voice rang out. "Absol!" it said, and Daron turned and saw a happy, healthy Absol bounding toward Daron. Abbey skidded to a halt in front of Daron and he smiled a little, happy to see his new friend, now fixed and well groomed. Her fur was clean and a vibrant white. Most of the cuts had been healed, and only two remained on the side of her face. Her head fur covered those as it was still long, but combed and cleaned, so that it looked like a hairstyle.

"Looking good, girl," Daron commented, holding out his hand. Abbey put her paw on his hand then leapt up and licked Daron's face, causing him and Chase to start laughing. Daron quickly calmed down and looked down the hall to see a Nurse Joy jogging down it. She stopped when she got to Daron and Chase.

Joy quickly pulled Abbey off Daron and apologized, "I am so sorry, sir, I don't know what happened, she just sprinted off."

Daron nodded and stood up. "It's no problem," he stated, monotone returning to his voice and his face becoming stoic once more. "She's with me anyway; I believe that she was just excited."

"Okay, sir," Joy said, releasing Abbey and walking into the room where Chase's Pokemon were resting.

Abbey sat down beside Daron and Chase came over and inspected her. Looking up at Daron he asked, "If she's an Absol, then shouldn't she have a horn or something?"

"Yes, but does it matter if she doesn't?" Daron retorted.

"Well yeah," Chase said, "She's not a normal Absol without a horn.

Daron shook his head. "Don't concern yourself with being normal. Just be yourself, with all of your imperfections, and you'll be fine in life." Chase stared at Daron as he walked to the front desk, picked up Abbey's luxury ball, and walked out the front doors of the Pokemon center.

When Daron walked out, he looked around at the city of Delictum. Although it wasn't as glamorous as most cities, the run-down place had pride. Small buildings crowded the streets where many people were sleeping, or huddled by trash can fires, desperately trying to warm themselves from the cold of winter. The buildings were crumbling and paint was peeling off, and the atmosphere was gloomy. A seemingly permanent cloud cover stretched across the sky, giving the city a bland gray color. Daron and Abbey strolled through the street, glancing in the broken shop windows. Abbey stayed close to Daron as she watched the men and woman glare menacingly at her and Daron. Daron seemed to pick up on Abbey's discomfort and bent down to pet her.

A small child, no more than six, tottered up to the duo, and looked at Abbey with great interest. The child smiled and looked at Daron without fear. Daron figured that since he lived in a city where crime was the main way of life, then he wouldn't be scared of Daron. "Can I rub the pretty Pokemon?" the child asked innocently.

Abbey smiled and yipped happily, "Ab! Absol!" Daron nodded and the child squealed with glee. He reached out with slightly dirty hands and gently rubbed the top of Abbey's head. She purred with delight, rubbing up against the boy. The child squealed once more, but a cold, strong wind blew through the city, seeming to whistle through the empty windows. The boy, who was dress in no more than a tattered jacket with a shirt that might once have been white, but now was stained brown, and a pair of ripped up jeans. His feet were covered by shoes covered in wholes, but that got the job done. The boy huddled close to Abbey and shivered up against her warm fur. Daron, who normally would have grabbed Abbey and then continued on, now felt compelled to do something for the young kid. Daron removed his overcoat and placed it tenderly on the young boy's shoulders. The boy looked up with wide eyes, curiously, at Daron; he was obviously not used to things being given to him. Daron nodded and he stood up, scratching Abbey kindly on the back of her head.

Suddenly, a man came up to Daron. He had on a small, beret-like hat, and wore the remains of an army jacket with many holes in his shirt and pants. He held a small cup in one hand, a look of relief on his face. "Billy!" he exclaimed, "I'm so glad I found you!" The man embraced the child, Billy, with one arm and chastised, "I told you never to run off like that. You could've gotten hurt!"

The man once again embraced his son, and Daron felt an emptiness inside him. He envied the boy. Billy had a father who actually loved him, even if he didn't have a mother, then he still had more than Daron ever would. However, instead of becoming angry or hostile to the boy, Daron smiled weakly, though he was genuinely happy for the reunited father and child. Standing straight, the man looked Daron in the eye. "Thank you for finding my son, sir. You may have your coat back."

Daron shook his head firmly. "Keep it," he commanded, "He needs it more than I do, as I can easily get another." Before the man could protest, Daron scratched Abbey's head and the two walked down the street.

"Thank you, sir!" the man called and Daron held up a hand in a good bye.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron and Abbey continued down the street, mostly just killing time. It was five-thirty in the afternoon and the plane wasn't supposed to pick them up until six. Daron, who hadn't been paying attention as to which direction he'd been going, suddenly hit a wall, literally. Holding his nose as Abbey giggled, Daron looked around. The two were in an alleyway, red and brown brick on either side of them, revealing the only way out to be back in the direction of which they came. Daron grunted as Abbey continued to giggle. The two turned around to get back on the street when they were stopped by a large man. He was clad in leather with a long brown beard; a bandana was wrapped around his presumably bald head, and black sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Pretty stupid of a rich boy like you to be comin' to a place like this, eh?" the man said. Daron just shrugged and attempted to keep walking, but was pushed back by the giant of a man, muscles rippling as he did so. "So that's 'ow you wanna be, eh boy?" he asked, a threatening glare making Abbey nervous, Daron, however remained calm and collected. The man revealed a Pokeball and threw it. After the shine died down, a deadly-looking Granbull. It snarled menacingly, yet once more, Daron gave no reaction, and Abbey, learning by example, too attempted to show no fear, yet was betrayed by her slightly quaking legs. The man laughed and taunted, "You better give me yo money, boy, or Granbull here gonna rip you up!"

Abbey started to shake a little, but Daron knelt down and whispered, "Courage, like in the cave." Abbey seemed to snap back at Daron's words and then sat down calmly, waiting for Daron to give the command to rip the man's throat out. "Let us pass," Daron commanded, a slight edge creeping into his tone.

The man laughed once more. "Not gonna happen rich boy! Now, since you won't give me the money, then, Granbull, use superp-"

The man was cut off by Daron's monotone voice. "Abbey, sucker punch." Daron had made sure to look at Abbey's moves via the Pokemon center's evaluation area. Right as the Granbull began charging his superpower, Abbey leapt forward with the Grace of a cat, and a darkness surrounded one of her paws. She slashed the Granbull heavily on the chest knocking it back. "Psycho cut," Daron commanded, voice still in a hushed monotone. Abbey reared her head back, but stopped when she realized that she had no horn, so she couldn't execute the move.

Daron bit back a curse as the man once again commanded Granbull to use superpower. This time, Granbull hit Abbey dead on, surrounded by a blue aura of power. He slammed into Abbey's thin body, the pain added by the super-effectiveness of the move. "Abbey, shadow claw," Daron said firmly. Abbey quickly recovered from the hit and quickly dashed over to the awaiting Granbull, however, his defenses had been weakened by the superpower. Abbey's slashed Granbull's chest with a claw that was absorbed in a deadly cloak of shadows. The Granbull went down and stayed down, moaning slightly from the pain it was in.

Daron smiled slightly as Abbey turned and yipped excitedly. Daron knelt down and rubbed her head, running his fingers through the hair on the sides of her face. Suddenly, Daron's eyes widened. Abbey turned and saw that the man that had tried to mug Daron was now holding a gun, pointed directly at her! Daron quickly moved in front of Abbey, trying to cover her as much as possible. "Guess Plan A didn't work," the man said calmly. "Time for Plan B."

The man cocked the gun and prepared to pull the trigger. Daron closed his eyes, but opened them when he heard a familiar voice. "Charizard, inferno!" A large, dragon-like Pokemon spread its wings and blasted a stream of hot flames at Daron's attacker, searing him to a crisp. The man quickly returned Granbull, and ran, slowly away, without so much as a word.

Daron stood up and saw that behind the Charizard stood the man and Billy. "Good work, Charizard, thank you," the man graciously thanked. The Charizard growled in response and the man quickly returned it. Turning to Daron, he said, "I guess we are even now." Daron smiled a little and Billy hugged Abbey tightly.

"Kitty, safe!" he said giddily. Daron and the man laughed heartily as Abbey licked the affectionate boy's face.

"Be careful out here, especially in alleys and things like that," Billy's father stated.

Daron nodded in agreement and said, "Thank you." Glancing at his watch, Daron looked up at the sky. Sure enough, a private plane was flying low overhead, most likely going to land at the airport only a mile away from Delictum. "I must be getting back to Creativita," Daron said calmly.

Billy looked sad as Abbey slipped out of his embrace. His father looked at Daron and said, "Once again, thanks you for finding my son. Since his mother died, he just hasn't been the same."

"I can relate," Daron replied, looking down at the ground. "Thank you for helping us, mister…" Daron trailed off and the man smiled.

"My name is Howard, sir."

"Daron." Looking off in the direction of the airplane, Daron hatched an idea. "Howard, you know about the Creatia Festival?" Howard nodded. "How about you and Billy come, with me and Abbey, on the plane ride back to Creativita so you can enjoy it, I can pay for you to return here, or even move to another City." Daron had no idea what had gotten into him today, but he seemed to like the new him.

Howard smiled brightly, although he was missing two teeth. "Are you serious?" he asked. Daron nodded and Howard jumped for joy. Picking up his son, Howard said, "Son, we're going to the Creatia Festival with this nice man!"

The son squealed with happiness. "Kitty!" he shouted and Abbey yipped happily.

Daron and Howard began walking to where a car was waiting with the name "Daron" on it, while Billy happily rode on Abbey's back where he had interwoven his hands into her fur.

A/N: I like this chapter. I think that it's a good balance with happiness and my usual darkness. Anyway, since no one except one person has even tried my contest, so whoever "ricepeas" is, you've one. Here's the answer.

"Hey, baby, don't worry; **Tears Don't Fall** from pretty babes when they're around Deuce"-Bullet for my Valentine

"Suddenly, Deuce was engulfed **Inside the Fire** in a fiery blaze"- Disturbed

"The Master said in a voice that one would use to **Hypnotize **someone"- System of a Down

Chapter 7 Title- **Welcome to the Family**- Avenged Sevenfold


	15. Planning and Love

"Text"-Speech

"**Text"**-Telepathy

"_Text"_-Flashbacks

'Text'-Thoughts

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

Mali paced aimlessly around his lavish office. Stolen art filled the walls; a plush, blood red carpet covered the rosewood floor. A mahogany desk was littered with papers, pens, and small trinkets such as gold bracelets, rings, and a human finger from Mali's latest disappointment. He was watching the door carefully, waiting for two people to arrive. Although he wanted to kill Seth personally, he did not want to risk his information being leaked; his son couldn't know of his identity. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and two figures walked in slowly.

Mali looked them over. One was an average size man, if a little bit tall. He looked around six foot and weighed a good two-hundred pounds in what Mali believed to be muscle. His brown eyes shone with anticipation. He wore a brown overcoat over what seemed like blue jeans underneath, his shirt was not visible. Two Pokeballs hung loosely on his belt, although Mali could tell they were empty. The other man was rather small, maybe only 5'4" and weighed around one-hundred thirty pounds. He was dressed in gray, loose silk pants. A gray cloak covered his upper body, and he had the hood pulled over his head which was obscured by an expressionless mask. Half of the mask was white, while the other half was black; however, the two had swirling designs that invaded the other.

"Welcome gentleman," Mali cooed slyly. "Please take a seat, you." Mali pointed to the man in the brown overcoat. "Please wait outside, good sir," he told the other man. The man merely nodded silently, then proceeded to seemingly float over to the door and closed it behind him without so much as touching him. The man in the brown overcoat sat down and crossed his knees, his hands over that. He unclasped his hands to tell Mali to continue and he did. "Welcome, Mister. By chance, what is your name, sir?"

"Jeffery," the man, Jeffery said quickly, eager to get to the point of the interview.

"Welcome then, Jeffery." Mali extended his hand and Jeffery took it tentatively, but then quickly removed his hand, wiping them on his overcoat. Jeffery was not overly eager to be working for this man, but he paid well, and that pay would certainly come in handy on the vacation he was on. "Now, down to business," Mali continued, his voice becoming quieter and more urgent. "I am told that you are a private detective with special, let's say, 'talents.'"

"That is correct," Jeffery said carefully. "What is it that you want of me?"

"I have a criminal that has been stealing money from my software company, and I need you to eliminate him," Mali explained, his expression darkening in the already dim light.

"Could I not just capture him and bring him to you?" Jeffry asked, as he was not fond of killing anyone, though he knew that in his line of work, it was inevitable. "If you are looking to get back at him, then you surely could kill him yourself."

"No," Mali stated firmly. "I lack both the power and wit to kill him myself," he lied, attempting to hold back a sick grin. "I know that he possesses abilities similar to yours, so I have enlisted you to kill him."

Jeffery nodded and said, "Any specific way you want me to do the deed?" He shifted around uncomfortably in his chair, the thought of killing someone still a little uneasy in his stomach.

"Just make sure you do it while wearing this ring," Mali commanded, pulling a ring out of his pocket and gave it to Jeffery. The ring was solid gold with black markings engraved into the sides. A large, ruby-like gem was held in by gold bands. The ring looked like it was very expensive, and precious. Jeffery took the ring and slid it on, feeling an unusual power flow through him.

Jeffery got a bad feeling in his stomach to mix with his already unsettled thoughts. "What is this ring?" he asked, holding his hand out as if it would get the ring away.

"It's a special ring, a family heirloom if you will," Mali lied once more. "It is only symbolic, is that alright?" Jeffery nodded and Mali continued, "One last thing, it is vital that this man does not know who I am, so I haven't given you my name. Should you succeed I will indeed give you my name, but not before, so get going, and send the other man in."

Jeffery stood up slowly, eyeing Mali the whole time, and then made his way over to the door. He quickly opened the door and stepped into a long, plain hallway. He saw the other man leaning against a wall silently; he had one of his feet against the wall and his arms were crossed, it was clear that he was in deep thought. Jeffery reached out to touch him, but the man's head snapped up and he walked into the room Jeffery had just been in without so much as an acknowledgement of Jeffrey's existence. Jeffery walked down the hallway to where two Pokemon were waiting. "Let's get going," Jeffery commanded quickly.

"Yes, master," said one of the two.

"Let's," said the other. The three of them walked down the hallway and then disappeared into an elevator.

Back in Mali's office, the other man sat across from Mali, face hidden behind the mask. The man made no gesture as to even noticing Mali, he just sat there, his eyes were the only thing that were visible, but they still provided no hint as to who was behind the mask.

"Welcome, mister…" Mali stated then trailed off. 'I must learn the names off my employees before I speak to them,' Mali thought comically. When the man made no move to answer him, Mali asked, "Well, what is your name?"

"Mors potius est dicenda liberator," the man said quickly and flatly.

Mali raised his eyebrows. "Latin, that is good, a dead language is one that many would not know. I am impressed. Now, based on your history, I assume you know who Jeffery is and what you are to do."

"Si non ego interficiam Seth!" the man said with an enthusiasm that one would not expect from such a man.

Mali laughed and clapped his hands. Turning around in his chair, he said to himself, "Son, you are soon to be lying in my hands, and your power will soon be mine!" Turning back around, Mali asked, "How, may I ask, do you plan on killing this man?" Mali didn't really care how it was performed, but a sick desire prompted him to ask.

The man pulled a knife out of his gray cloak and placed it on the table. "Ego slit faucibus haesit. Tunc dolor et biberitis ejus sanguine, quasi animal!" the man exclaimed.

Mali laughed once more and turned and whistled. Suddenly, an Alakazam appeared by Mali, along with a Zoroark. "You two, lead my friend here to his room on the top floor." The two Pokemon nodded and they led the man up from the chair, where he made sure to grab his knife, and then proceeded to the door.

Before he exited the room, the ma stated firmly, "Morte dabo, Seth." He then left and Mali was left, alone, laughing himself giddy in anticipation.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Back in Creativita, Seth and Grace were making their way through the semi-heavy crowds of the festival. Seth was attempting to lead Grace to the outskirts of town where the contest hall was, enjoying the fact that he had an excuse to hold her hand. He smiled as she caught up and now was next to him. Grace stayed close to him and acted like a scared Pokemon. Seth had explained just how illegal it was for them to be in love, but he had also explained that whenever they were in Creativita, when there wasn't a festival going on, it would generally be okay as most of the people there were fairly open-minded.

"**Just a little farther, Hun," **Seth sent to Grace as he couldn't risk someone from out of town hearing one of his pet names for Grace. Grace just looked at Seth and smiled, wanting desperately to embrace him. The two continued until they reached the city limit, which was defined by a high shrub. The outside of town was similar to where it was by Seth's house, with tall trees lining each side, and musicians and artists lining the sides of the dirt road. A small path separated from the main road and a magnificent contest hall stood at the end. Seth led Grace along the path and she got a good look at the hall. It was almost built like a castle. Gray brick was the primary building material and a large, golden dome glimmered in the evening sunlight. Many people and Pokemon were out in the vast yard, practicing routines and combinations.

"Seth?" Grace asked, not taking her eyes off of the beautiful cathedral-like hall. Seth turned to face Grace in response. Noting this, Grace continued, "Do you think that we could enter a contest one day, if just for fun?" She glanced at the man she loved then back at the hall.

"Of course…" Seth trailed off, as he was about to say a pet name for Grace, but a mysterious trainer passed them. He seemed to exude an aura of arrogance, and the way he was dressed did not offer any hints at friendliness. He looked to be around fifteen and was about a half-foot shorter than Seth. His hair was black, but with red highlights and white at the tips; it hung over his right eye, and lay flat on his forehead. His shirt was a black and blue t-shirt, a white tribal design dancing along it. Bandages were wrapped up his arms and his hands were covered by black rider's gloves. His black cargo pants were ripped and tattered at the edges, and bandages with red splotches along them covered his legs. Heavy, black skater shoes were on his feet and made a loud sound as he walked down the path.

As he passed Seth and Grace, the trainer turned and said, "We're battling now." There was no question to be asked, it was an order and the trainer wanted it to be followed.

"No thanks," Seth said, attempting to turn around, grasping Grace's hand in process. "We need to be getting home."

As Seth began to walk away, the trainer sneered and threw his Pokeball that he'd been holding at the back of Seth's head. It hit its mark and knocked Seth off balance slightly, though he quickly regained it. When he turned around he saw that the ball had opened and revealed a fierce looking Houndoom, teeth dripping with saliva. "I said, we're battling now," the trainer said, giving Seth a mean look.

"Look, kid, I don't wanna battle, so just leave us alone!" Seth said, resisting the urge to punch the arrogant youth's face in.

The young trainer growled then shouted, "Houndoom, crunch!" The Houndoom growled then lunged at Grace, his bared fangs becoming surrounded in darkness. Grace turned around just in time to hold one of her hands up to keep the Pokemon from getting at her face. The Houndoom crunched sickeningly on Grace's hand, right where the scar was. Grace froze, a look of horror on her face as memories flooded back to her. The burning sensation of rods being forcefully pushed and pulled through open wounds, her own blood acting as a lubricant, the sickening squelch that the rods made as they pushed and pulled at her skin and flesh, and the horrible laughter that still tormented her, the one of Thantos, laughing himself silly. Grace's eyes watered, not only from the pain of the crunch, but the pain of knowing that her pain was never ended, that it would follow, that her old master would always have an influence.

"Take it away, please, someone," Grace murmured, tears rolling down her face.

The Houndoom noticed these tears and quickly let go, disobeying his trainer to continue attacking. He knew that if a Pokemon was crying in a battle, then he had gone too far and must stop. The Houndoom hung his head low and sulked back to his trainer, whimpering slightly as an apology. He continued to ignore his trainer's commands as he stared at Seth and the bleeding Gardevoir. [Go,] he barked, and that was all that he said.

Seth nodded, took Grace's healthy hand, and teleported them back home. Behind him, the young trainer growled and recalled Houndoom.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth closed his eyes as the now familiar sensation of a rope being pulled on his stomach took hold of him. When he opened them, he saw that Grace and he were in the basement gym. Seth quickly released Grace's hand and she began tenderly holding it. Seth opened up a medical cabinet and pulled out a hyper potion. He then quickly walked over to Grace, opened the nozzle, and sprayed the substance over the bite wounds. Grace gritted her teeth as the medicine stung on the wounds, but soon they disappeared and all that was left was the ugly scar on her hand. Her dress, which had received part of the bite wounds, had even managed to repair itself!

Grace sighed quietly in relief as Seth put the remainder of the bottle back into the cabinet. He turned to Grace who quickly wrapped him in a warm embrace. He returned the hug and set his head on her shoulder lovingly. The two simply stood there, in each other's arms, for almost ten minutes. Finally, the two separated, but not before Seth stole a quick kiss on Grace's cheek. Without a word, the two held each other's hands and walked upstairs into the living room. When they got there, Grace nearly squealed with delight.

Sitting there, on a blanket, was Dawn and Dusk. Dawn was curled around a brown egg with a cream stripe running along it, and Dusk was standing protectively over both of them. Grace quickly pulled Seth over to where the two were sitting and they knelt down to get a better look at the egg. It looked a bit small, but otherwise healthy. Dawn smiled and said, [Isn't it amazing?]

[It sure is,] Dusk agreed, giving Dawn a small peck on the top of her head.

"Congratulations, you two," Seth said excitedly. "I just know that the Eevee that comes out will have the best parents it could ask for!" Seth rubbed the top of Dawn's head and scratched behind Dusk's ear, which he responded to by kicking his leg up and down happily.

[I am a little nervous,] Dawn confessed, a small bit of red tinting her lavender fur.

"That's fine," comforted Seth, "I think I'd be nervous if I was a first time parent." Looking around, Seth noticed that he and Grace were the only other ones in the house. "When did you lay the egg, because I am pretty sure that Sarah would be all over it if she knew?"

[I think that everyone except for Mia and Gus are out at the festival.] Dawn explained.

"I understand why Mia wouldn't want to go to the festival, but why isn't Gus there, and where is he?"

[He got too drunk last night, so he's all hung-over now. I believe that he is in his room.] Dusk replied flatly, showing off his disdain by turning up his nose.

Seth grunted. The last time that Gus got drunk he fell down the stairs, three times, in the span of ten minutes. Sarah and Daron had to literally carry him up the stairs when he got that drunk, so he couldn't have been that bad if he had made it to his room by himself. "Well as long as he doesn't hurt himself, then I guess I am fine with that."

Grace had not said anything the entire conversation. She was fixated on the egg nestled between Dawn and Dusk. She reached out with one hand and slowly rubbed the smooth surface of it, occasionally glancing at Dusk who was watching her carefully. "Congratulations," she whispered, her voice almost cracking, but she kept it under control.

[Thank you, Grace,] Dawn said, twin tails swishing back and forth. [I hate to ask you, but can Dusk and I please have some alone time with our egg, please?]

"Of course," Seth answered. He stood up straight, pulling Grace up with him, her eyes were still staring at the egg, but she quickly averted them when Dusk started to stare at her.

"Let's go, Seth," Grace said quickly, although she wanted nothing more than to stay with the egg. A life was inside the shell. She just prayed that the life inside had a better one that she did, no pain, no suffering, and people who cared for it. Right as Grace was about to burst into tears, she looked at Seth, standing tall and strong, holding her hand tightly. Grace smiled.

The two decided to get some rest, as Daron was scheduled to arrive in Creativita fairly early the next morning and it would do them no good to be tired when he did, especially when he got moody. They climbed the stairs and looked down the hallway towards Gus' room. However, instead of seeing the door closed, they saw it open, and Gus was in front of it, snoring loudly. Seth sighed and kicked Gus' motionless body. All the response he got was Gus snorting and beginning to drool. Seth threw his hand up and Grace led them to their bedroom.

Grace entered the room first, and then Seth and he closed the door behind him. Seth threw off his shirt and sat down in a chair that was beside his dresser. Grace took off her sweater and folded it gingerly and placed it on the dresser, running her hand over the smooth fabric. Grace sat down on the bed, bouncing a little on the cushy covering. She remembered the promise to herself that she'd made that morning, but was so nervous that she couldn't act. Seth was feeling the same, and blushed a little as he took in Grace's form for the hundredth time that day.

Finally, Grace broke the silence. "Seth," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" Seth said, turning his attention to Grace's face.

"I need to talk," Grace said, gripping the bed tightly. Seth nodded and gestured for her to speak whatever was on her mind. "When I was bitten on my hand, today, I felt something. I felt like the pain that Th-Tha-I don't want to say his name. I felt like the pain that _he _put me through came back, like it was stalking me, determined to get me." Seth stood and sat by Grace's side wrapping her in a one armed hug and Grace placed her head in the crook of Seth's head and neck. "No matter where I go, I always feel pain," she continued, "It's as if Arceus doesn't want me to be free." After saying the last voice, Grace's voice broke. She turned and cried, hard, into Seth's shoulder.

"Stop," Seth commanded firmly, but softly. Grace instantly stopped crying and stared at Seth, he had never been that firm with her. Seth smiled a little, and said, "I think Arceus was trying to free both of us, we were just too caught up with ourselves to see that."

"What do you mean?" Grace asked, wiping her face on her sleeve.

"Before you came, I was lost and had no direction. I was also miserable, although I would never admit that. I felt like there was no place in the world for me, and with my mother gone, I felt like there was no one to love me. However, since you came into my life, it has gotten better. I now know that the place in this world is by your side, and Arceus intended it to be that way. I didn't realize that before because all I could think of was trying to make you forget about your past." Seth explained.

"I… think… I understand," Grace said, though a little confused. "I always wanted to make you feel better about your pain, that every time that I thought of mine…well…it hurt even worse…" Grace trailed off long enough to kiss Seth passionately on his lips. When she released him, she said, "But that always made the pain go away."

Seth brought Grace into a tight hug, ignoring the horn poking his chest. Suddenly, he made a bold decision. "Would you like me to take more of the pain away?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"What do you mean?" Grace asked, still in the embrace.

Seth responded by slowly, methodically laying small kisses down Grace's neck. Grace moaned quietly as the new feeling took over her body, a feeling of pleasure, a feeling of love. Seth grabbed Grace by the shoulders gently and looked into her red eyes as if staring into her soul. "Grace," he whispered, "I want to take you as my mate, but I have to know…do you want me as yours?"

Grace, astonished, took a few seconds to respond. Seth's face dropped at the prospect of her possible saying no, but all doubt was quickly disposed of as Grace's lips met his. Her tongue prodded against Seth's lips, asking for permission to enter, and Seth obliged, his tongue meeting hers in a passionate dance. The two stayed locked together, Seth's hands slowly sliding Grace's dress off of her gorgeous body. Finally, the two separated, gasping for air, and Grace's upper body nude. She blushed, but moved her head up to Seth's ear and quietly answered, "Please, I want you as my mate."

Seth was ecstatic and Grace removed the rest of her dress, revealing her rather toned body to her soon-to-be mate. Seth hurriedly removed the rest of his clothing and then brought Grace into another passionate kiss, the two falling on the bed with Seth on top of Grace. Seth slowly rubbed Grace's sides with his hands. He stopped kissing her long enough to tell her that he loved her and then began planting kisses down her body. Grace moaned quietly as she felt the tiny pecks fill her body with warmth and happiness. Finally, Seth reached her slit. He stared at it for a few seconds than back up at Grace, who nodded confidently. Seth carefully kissed her slit and Grace moaned loudly, not used to such things bringing her pleasure.

Seth then moved up Grace's body once again and their lips met again, Seth's erection touching Grace's womanhood. Seth removed himself from the kiss and said, "I love you." There was nothing more to say as he positioned himself in front of her entrance. Right as he was about to enter, Seth stopped. He felt a massive amount of fear emanating from Grace. He looked at her face and asked, "Are you alright, we do not have to do this is you don't want to." Seth cupped Grace's chin in his hand and she responded by placing her hand on this.

"I'm scared," she whispered like a child. "When my old master did this, it hurt, very badly. I'm scared," she repeated, grasping Seth's hand tightly.

Seth smiled and replied, "There is a difference." Seth placed his head next to Grace's ear and slowly murmured, "He was forcing you to do this, I am not, and he was raping you, we…we are making love." Grace smiled and a confidence filled Seth as he laid small pecks on Grace's neck. Grace moaned loudly as Seth began entering her, a little unexpectedly. Grace smiled as she realized Seth was right. There was no pain, just pleasure, not forced pleasure either. This came far from the act that they were doing, but it came from the love that Grace felt from Seth, that she gave back to Seth. Seth pulled back out, almost coming out of Grace, but then pushed back in, going a little deeper. They continued this rhythm, Grace occasionally moving her hips to aid Seth along. The two locked each other in a beautiful kiss, Grace moaning into Seth's mouth.

"Seth," Grace said through pleasure filled groans.

"Yes, love?" Seth responded, breathing heavily as he picked up the speed at which he was moving his hips.

"I can feel it, I am close." Grace was in a state of pure bliss as the man she loved gave her such pleasure. He filled her up, but was not too big, and he was gentle, something that she hadn't known for a long time. Her thoughts were cut short as she felt her walls close on Seth's cock, and pleasure racked her body. She almost screamed in delight as her first willing orgasm shook her body.

Seth, feeling Grace's walls slam on his manhood, came soon after that. He shot his seed deep into Grace. After coming down from it, Seth pulled himself out of Grace and collapsed next to her, panting. Grace had a large smile on her face and she placed her arms around Seth, where he belonged. "I love you, Grace," Seth said through breaths.

"I love you too, Seth. I just wish that you were the one to take me," Grace replied, pulling Seth into a kiss.

"As far as I am concerned, I was the one to take you, my mate." Seth smiled happily and held Grace close, enjoying the feelings of happiness that was shared between. Suddenly, a bright light enveloped Grace's arm. Seth stared, open-mouthed, as Grace squeezed her eyes in the burning sensation that followed the light. As quickly as it started, the light faded, revealing a Mark, exactly the same as Seth's.

Grace looked at Seth and smiled. "I guess you're stuck with me," she teased.

Seth kissed her once more and replied, "I think I'll be okay with that."

A/N: I am not feeling well right now, so this chapter may not be as good as I wanted it to be, but I don't want to re-write it, so here it is. If it is truly as bad as I think it is, then tell me in the reviews and I will re-do it after the one-shot for Ricepeas. Ok, that's all I really have to say except for I love you all of my readers, so enjoy. For those who don't speak Latin, here are the translations for what the man in the mask said in order of which they appear. These are just rough translations I got from a translator.

"I prefer to be called the Liberator of Death"

"Should he fail, I will kill Seth!"

"I will slit his throat. Then I will drink his blood like an animal!"

"I will bring the death of Seth."


	16. Welcome Home Fight

"Text"- Normal Speech

"_Text_"- Dreams/Flashbacks

"**Text**"-Telepathy

[Text]-Translated Speech

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. OKAY NOW ON WITH THE FIC!**

Daron stared at the gate that lined the massive house that was now almost alien to him. On all sides of him, he was surrounded by darkness as it was still in the early hours of the morning. Abbey was perched at his feet, yawning widely as she hadn't slept well on the plane, and she looked at Daron, wondering why he was hesitating at entering his own house. Daron glanced at his watch. The time read 3:42 in the morning; Daron's flight had gotten into the Creativita earlier than expected, so he got some clothes for Billy and Howard, and checked them into a reputable hotel. Howard was extremely grateful, despite being tired, and Billy was flat out asleep and had been wrapped in Abbey's warm fur.

A cloud cover hung low in the sky as Daron looked back at the gate. Its twisting design seemed to mirror Daron's stomach as he felt like being sick right there and then. Memories of how he'd treated Seth, Sarah, Gus, his Pokemon, their Pokemon, everybody, they all flooded back to him. He looked down at the ground and placed one hand on the cool, smooth metal. His hand was scrunched up in a fist and his face was stoic, as nominal. Suddenly, Daron collapsed on the ground, similar to how he'd done in the cave, leaning his back and head against the gate, wanting nothing more than to just disappear from the Earth.

Abbey cocked her head to the left slightly and spoke. "What is the matter, Daron?" She knew that he couldn't understand her, but she was determined to get her answer. She sat down on her hind legs and then leaned down and placed her head on Daron's lap.

Daron gave a half-smile as he put his hand on Abbey's head and slowly began to rub it. Abbey let out an appreciative purr and Daron said, "I don't think I can do this, Abbey." Abbey flipped over on her back and looked up at Daron, giggling slightly as, to her, he was upside down. Daron's smile widened as he watched Abbey giggle. He hadn't known what she had just said, but he knew that she was concerned for him; however, he soon realized something. He knew that Abbey had been concerned for him, but she'd reacted the way that Seth, Sarah, and Gus always acted when he was having a particularly heavy depression period. He'd always passed their care and concern off as nosiness and just getting in his way. Daron stopped smiling instantly and hung his head low in shame. Abbey stopped giggling and looked at Daron with confusion in her eyes. Daron rubbed Abbey's stomach. "I've been so cruel to them, and I thought they were the selfish ones. I always said that they acted like Mom didn't matter, but they were just handling it better than I was. I was just the baby of the family. I mean Sarah and I are twins, and I'm even a few minutes older, but she's always been the mature one."

Daron glanced off to the side and absentmindedly played with some dirt in his right hand. Abbey, capriciously, decided to try to cheer Daron up. She moved her head up so that her forehead was touching his chin. Daron looked down at her in her eyes quizzically and raised an eyebrow. "Aaaabbbbssssooooolllll!" Abbey shouted. Abbey then stuck her tongue out and planted it right on Daron's nose, leaving it there.

Daron crossed his eyes and looked at Abbey's pink tongue, feeling the roughness on his nose. Abbey then began moving her tongue up and down on Daron's nose, however, she was upside down, so when her tongue went down, it went up on Daron's nose. A familiar sensation came upon Daron. He suddenly felt an unnatural urge to laugh as his nose suddenly was tickled unexpectedly. Daron released the involuntary laughter, filling the cool night air with his warm, hearty laugh. Once again, he felt as if a weight that had once burdened heavily on his body was released, making Daron feel light and child-like. Abbey stopped licking Daron's nose and grinned up at him, panting happily.

Daron finally calmed down, but a smile remained on his face. "You're a strange thing, you know that?" he asked, only somewhat sarcastically.

"Absol!" Abbey yipped before getting up on her feet and beginning to bump against Daron, urging him to enter his house and confront his fears.

He didn't know why, but the laugh seemed to have sparked something in Daron. The knot in his stomach seemed to untangle itself and Daron's muscles relaxed, although they were a little sore from being so tense. Daron stood up uneasily, but his head was held high. He then knew what the laugh did. It was proof, proof that he had changed for the better, and that he was not the same person that everyone else remembered. He now had to change that. He looked down at Abbey, who was looking up at him with her big red eyes full of excitement. He set his hand on Abbey's head and said, "Come on, girl, I have some things I need to tell people." With that, Daron removed his hand and walked confidently through the gate, up the stairs onto the small porch, and put his hand on the doorknob. One last pang of regret reverberated through Daron's body as he took a shaky breath. He then opened the door and standing there was the empty foyer. "What did I expect?" Daron mumbled under his breath. "A welcome home party?"

Daron stepped inside and allowed Abbey to get ahead of him and look around; he then closed the door behind him. Abbey was awestruck as she looked around at the well-decorated foyer. It was big and paintings of all sorts were on the walls, some larger than others. One specific one caught her eye. It was a painting of an Absol, like her, only with a horn and the fur on its face only fell low on one side. It was in the sitting position, eyes glaring down at Abbey like a displeased Elder. The painting was so detailed that Abbey began to cower as it showed her the imperfections that lined her body. Her head was hornless, the hair that hung low on both sides of her head was not pointed like a normal Absol's, but cut off and flat on the sides of her head, like a human hairdo, and finally, an imperfection that she hadn't shown Daron that she always kept secret, even to the nurse that had treated her wounds. She quickly looked away from the glaring Absol and Daron walked up next to her. He looked at her, then at the painting, and then back at her. The painting was not large, maybe 5x5 at the most, so he took it off of the wall and then tapped Abbey on the head. When Abbey looked back up she saw that Daron had taken the picture off of the wall and placed it, face-down, on the table. She smiled up at him and Daron smiled back, but then noticed that a light was coming from the hallway leading to the living room.

He motioned for Abbey to follow and then tried to walk as quietly as his heavy boots would allow into the room. When he arrived, he saw that nothing had changed and that his favorite chair seemed to have remained untouched. He didn't mind if others actually sat on it, but it was just a running joke in the family that it was Daron's chair, a claim he had made when he was only 6. In the middle of the room was Sarah, Dawn, and Dusk. Sarah had her back to Daron and was focusing on wrapping something it seemed. She was still in her normal clothes, so it was obvious that she hadn't slept at all that night. Dusk was asleep and Dawn seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness.

Daron took a step into the room and his heavy footsteps caused Sarah to snap up, her mind instantly coming to the conclusion that someone was coming to rob them. Instead of a robber, she saw her twin brother, Daron; standing beside him was an Absol who was sitting nervously close to Daron's legs. "Daron," Sarah said, her voice slightly raspy.

"Hey, Sarah," Daron responded, adding a small smile to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Sarah's eyes widened considerably and she placed down what looked like an egg wrapped in towels gently next to Dawn, who moved her head to lie on top of it and then fell asleep. "Daron…you smiled. You haven't, you never…" She trailed off and then, with lighting speed, leapt up from her spot on the floor and launched herself at Daron. She wrapped her arms around tightly, never wanting to let him go. Daron responded by putting his arms around her and pulling her close.

Suddenly, emotions that Daron had forgotten that he had welled up inside of him. Longing, joy, and a desire to love all came to the surface and broke the icy shell around Daron's heart to disappear, almost. Left behind was just a trace of ice, but there was enough gone to bring Daron to tears. "I'm sorry," he sobbed, "For everything."

"You have noth-" Sarah started, but Daron cut her off.

"No, I do have something to be sorry for." Daron stated firmly. "I have acted like a little bitch. I have done nothing but complain and be a horrible waste of space ever since Mom died. I hurt my own Pokemon; I hurt you, Seth, Gus, and pretty much any therapist that didn't put a restraining order on me! Worst of all, I acted like you guys didn't care, like you were the ones who were cold, unfeeling, and monsters, but you guys were just the ones who are actually listening to Mom. She always said that when tragedy strikes, you move on, but I never did. Hell, I can't even understand why you are hugging me now!"

By this point, Sarah was also in tears. "Daron," she whispered softly. "I am your sister, your twin, I know you better than you know you, and even though you did all of those things," Daron looked down at the ground behind his sister's shoulder and saw Abbey there, curiously sniffing around the unfamiliar place. He then felt a hand on his face and then he was staring into his sister's. "Let me finish," she said teasingly. "Even if you did all of those things, I don't care, Seth doesn't care, Gus doesn't care, your Pokemon don't care, and even Grace says that she's forgiven you for what you said to her, at least according to Seth. We're your family, Daron; it would take so much for us to ever think you of a horrible person; that title belongs to "Daddy." Sarah said the last word as one would say a curse, malice dripping from every word and a deep hatred and misunderstanding.

Daron brought his favorite person in the world as close to him as he could and then slowly said, "Thank you, Sarah. I love you, and Seth, and everyone who I've said I hated these past two years. I've just been too blinded by sadness and anger to realize it."

Sarah withdrew from the tight embrace as it was becoming difficult to breathe. Smiling at Daron, she asked, "So, why are you suddenly like your old self again, huh bro?" Sarah was beginning to lose her motherly nature and becoming just like she was when they were younger.

"Her," Daron stated. Although he was changed, his face became an emotionless void once more, but the second that Abbey turned to face the twins, his face lit up like a light, but still remained void of any visible feeling.

"Absol?" Abbey said, wondering why Daron was now pointing at her.

Sarah walked over to Abbey and looked at her carefully. She noted the lack of a horn and the strange hairstyle on the sides of her face, but other than that, she looked like a normal Absol. Sarah smiled happily and rubbed Abbey's hornless head. Abbey, realizing this woman was no threat, immediately began to rub her lithe body against Sarah's thin one. Sarah giggled and turned to Daron to ask, "What's this cutie's name?"

Daron smirked at the word "cutie" and said, "Her name is Abigail, or Abbey, and yes, I am aware that it's unoriginal, I met her in a cave."

Sarah's eyebrows rose and she asked, "A cave? How about you and I have a little chat about how you and Abbey met?" Daron simply nodded and walked over to "his" chair. He sat down heavily, closed his eyes, and sighed contently, in his favorite place in the world.

Out of nowhere, a weight was suddenly upon Daron's lap. He opened his eyes and saw that Abbey was now sitting on his lap, front arms on his chest and her back legs on his lap. Daron raised his eyebrows in a similar fashion that Sarah had and said, "Can I help you?"

"Ab!" Abbey yipped sweetly, lying down flat on Daron and remaining there. She grinned playfully at Daron and then gave him a quick lick on his face.

Daron smiled. "Alright, you can stay, you weird thing, you," he conceded, ruffling the fur on Abbey's head. Abbey gave Daron another lick and then curled into a tight ball on Daron and closed her eyes, and Daron could feel each breath she took.

Sarah sat down on the couch opposite Daron and pulled her legs up to her chest and put her head on her knees. "So, since we have a while until Seth wakes up to "get" you, what's been going on the last three months?"

"Well I did have a few paintings, but they got destroyed with the car, and I found Abbey, she was a surprise." Daron was suddenly stopped by Sarah's giggle. Daron looked at her, confused. "What's so funny?"

Sarah bit her bottom lip and looked down. When she finally calmed down, she said, "Oh, nothing. It's just, speaking of surprises; Seth has one that I think that you'll enjoy.

Daron looked at her strangely and shrugged. The two spent the next hour simply talking and reconciling over the past two years' mistakes.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth awoke to a loud beeping piercing his veil of sleep. He jumped slightly, startled by the sudden awakening. He quickly rolled over from holding Grace and slammed his hand down on the stop button. The noise quickly subsided and Seth let out a long sigh of relief as he sat up. The time was 5:00 in the morning and he was supposed to pick up Daron at the airport in half an hour. He turned quickly when he heard someone groan behind him. He smiled at Grace, who had her face buried in their pillow, trying to get back to sleep.

Seth reached over and lightly stroked his mate's arm. He ran his hand, carefully, over The Mark that Grace now had on her arm. Finally, Seth leaned down and whispered in Grace's ear, "Grace, honey, it's time for you to get up."

Grace rolled over to face Seth and she leaned up to give him a kiss. When the two separated, she said, "Five more minutes?" She then proceeded to draw Seth in for a long, drawn out hug, practically trying to pull him into her.

"Unfortunately, no, we have to go get Daron, and I also have a question." Seth responded whilst rubbing Grace's horn gently.

Grace giggled and said, "Stop it, Seth that tickles." Seth obliged and stole a quick smooch on Grace's cheek, to which she giggled as well. "Is the question about The Mark?" she asked, a knowing expression on her face. Seth merely nodded in response and lugged himself out of bed, completely nude still and Grace made a purring noise in her throat to show her approval. Regaining herself, Grace also slipped out of bed and Seth threw her the dress and gloves that Gardevoir wore, her sweater was already on her side of the bed. "Anyway," she started, beginning to get dressed along with Seth. "The Mark isn't solely for humans that we trust. We can also grant it to members of our own species, although it is hardly ever seen, and it is only symbolic, nothing special happens to us."

"Does anything happen to me?" Seth asked, pulling on his shirt and then his leather jacket.

Grace held her sweater to her body and said, "The only thing is that…if one…if one of us…if one of us dies, then The Mark will disappear and we'd lose all of our powers." Grace shuffled around uncomfortably and Seth made his way over to her, bare feet barely making a sound on the carpet.

Seth drew Grace into a hug and slowly said, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, and I don't think you are either."

Grace smiled at Seth and returned the embrace, running her hands over the leather of Seth's jacket. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Seth responded, planting a kiss on Grace's lips. "Come on, let's go get Daron."

Seth and Grace exited their room and headed downstairs, expecting all of the lights to be off and the house to be eerily quiet. Instead, the two found that a light was coming from the area with the living room, and it sounded like voices were having a conversation. The duo walked down the hallway and into the room and were shocked to see Sarah, Daron, and an Absol apparently having a conversation. Dawn and Dusk were asleep, their egg comfortably wrapped in towels.

"Hey," Seth said, drawing the attention of the Absol and his two siblings. He looked at Sarah and then stared at Daron, who said something to the Absol. The Absol got off of Daron and he stood up.

He walked over to where Seth and Grace were standing and stood there, staring at his boots like he was a child being punished. Finally, he looked up into Seth's eyes and said, "I'm sorry."

Seth looked through Daron's emotions and he could tell that Grace was doing the same. Whereas there was once nothing but a violent storm of hatred, angst, depression, and lust, there was now a beautiful ocean of calmness, happiness, patience, and a desire to reconcile; however, a small bit of negativity remained inside Daron.

As soon as Seth was about to say something Grace stepped forward and looked at Daron. She was a little shorter than him, but Daron felt as if she was twenty feet tall. He had known her for perhaps a few hours at the most, and all he had said to her was 'Go fuck yourself bitch.' His eyes were downcast, but then Grace did something he didn't expect. She drew Daron into a light hug and said, "Garde Gardevoir."

Daron's, eyes were wide as saucers and he looked at Seth, although he didn't return Grace's hug as he was too shocked. "What did she say?" he asked Seth, remembering that Seth was able to understand Grace.

"She said, 'Don't worry too much, I have forgiven you,'" Seth translated. Grace had removed herself from Daron and then went back to Seth, grasping his hand in hers a little nervously. Seth smiled at her comfortingly and then faced Daron once more. "What she has said, I say too."

"How?" Daron asked. The question was quick and blunt, so Daron expanded upon it. "I mean, I was a total jerk to you guys for two fucking years, and suddenly I come home, smile, and suddenly it's like I never changed."

Seth placed his free hand on Daron's shoulder and said, "That's in the past, bro, it's just like Mom always said, 'When tragedy strikes, you move on.'"

Daron smiled and pulled Seth into a one-armed hug. "Glad to have you back, Daron." Seth commented and Daron released him.

"Absol!" Abbey suddenly barked, startling everybody in the room.

Daron and Sarah looked at Seth hopefully and translated, "She said to not forget about her." Seth laughed at his sibling's confused faces.

Daron's face lit up once more and he explained, "This is Abigail, or Abbey, and yes, I am aware that it's unoriginal. When my car crashed, I had to get to shelter and I saw a cave, so I went in. I'll spare you the details of what happened in the cave, it's nothing dirty, just a little concerning, but basically, Abbey saved my life. She looked beat up, so I took her with me to the Pokemon Center and she decided to join me."

Seth raised his eyebrows and responded by saying slyly, "That's an interesting story. However, I think I've got one that can rival that."

Daron held up a finger as to say 'one moment' and then walked back over to "his" chair and sat down, followed closely by Abbey, who hopped up on Daron's lap once more and grinned at him happily. "Is this going to become a regular thing?" he asked, beginning to stroke Abbey's back. Abbey nodded vigorously and then turned her back to Daron so he could get it better.

"Looks like you have to share from now on, Daron," Sarah commented, yawning widely.

Daron turned to Seth and questioned, "So, what's this story?"

(=)(=)(=)(=)

It was now 2:00 in the afternoon and Seth and Grace were casually walking around one of the less crowded areas of Creativita. Daron had taken the news about Seth and Grace quite well, which wasn't really surprising considering that he often was very vocal about allowing Pokemon and human relationships. He was back at the house as he decided that he would like to try to paint Abbey. As Seth and Grace walked by the assorted stands, desperately wanting to be able to hold each other, they failed to notice that a figure was watching them carefully from the sidelines.

"Is that him, Jeffrey?" A Gardevoir had asked the question and was watching the man and other Gardevoir.

Jeffrey watched the man, Seth, intently, trying to figure out how to engage him in combat without harming the innocent people around him. "Yes, Lyra, it is, now shh."

Seth stopped all of a sudden and said something to the Gardevoir and she teleported off. Jeffrey seized his chance and drew a small tazer. It wasn't particularly large, and it wouldn't kill anyone, even if hit directly hit their heart, but it would incapacitate Seth long enough for Jeffrey to do the deed. As Seth looked at a curio stand, Jeffery pulled the gun up and took aim.

Right as he was about to fire, Jeffrey's Kabutops, named Kira suddenly turned around from a noodle stand. The stand catered to Pokemon as well and a Gothitelle was helping its trainer to understand Kira, so she had taken the opportunity to buy some noodles. However, as she tried to balance the bowl carefully on in her claws, it slipped out and spilled its contents all over Jeffrey's shoulder causing some major scalding.

"Gah!" Jeffrey yelled out and the burning on his shoulder caused him to jerk his arm, so instead of hitting Seth with the tazer, he hit the curio shop owner.

"You missed!" Lyra admonished, not knowing that Jeffrey had been burned.

"Kira!" Jeffrey shouted as Seth looked around for the source of the vender's sudden collapse. Seth and Jeffrey suddenly locked eyes and Seth immediately knew that it was him who had electrocuted the shop owner. Jeffrey grabbed Lyra's hand, causing her to blush and grabbed Kira's claw and began to get them to run.

"My noodles!" Kira cried out as she started to dash along next to Jeffrey. Jeffrey and Lyra merely moaned as they tried to push through the dense crowds in the main part of the city.

Seth was left staring at the man, wanting to chase after him, but he knew that without backup, he wouldn't stand a chance, even with his powers. Grace then appeared in a flash of blue light along with Ignis. "Guys, come with me, a man nearly killed that vender," he said gesturing to the downed shop owner, who was twitching unwillingly.

[Wait, I thought I was here because you wanted to show me something.] Ignis complained, looking at the twitching man behind the counter. He placed a finger on the man's head and quickly reeled it back from a small shock he'd received.

"Never mind that, let's go!" Seth stressed, grabbing Grace's hand as she began to float in order to keep up with him. Ignis was not moving however, so Seth turned and said, "Look, we might get to fight, and I'll buy you some fire chips when we're done, so let's go!"

Ignis was off faster than Seth could've hoped. The three of them dashed towards the main gate, but then diverted off into an alley way that Seth knew was a shortcut to the entrance/exit of the town. Seth was breathing hard, but was determined not to let the man who was probably aiming for to escape. Had Grace not teleported off, she risked being hit, and Seth never would've forgiven himself if she had.

Finally the trio came close to the edge of the town when suddenly Seth was stopped by a short man. "Hey, Daron, wassup, brotha?" the man asked, drunk out of his mind.

Seth looked down and saw Gus with the 'whacked by a hammer' smile on his face. His breath reeked of alcohol and he was having trouble standing up straight as he was constantly wobbling around and having to catch himself on the side of the bar he was at. "Gus," Seth groaned, constantly glancing around, trying to spot the man who had tried to shoot him. "Get out of my way and go home and lie down on the couch, now."

"Aww. C'mon man, why ya gotta be like-" Gus was cut off by a loud hiccup and he giggled uncontrollably. "I mean, why ya gotta be, be like that mate? Can't we all just get alonggggggg?" Gus then started singing an out of tune, off key and badly performed rendition of "What a Wonderful World."

Seth suddenly spotted Jeffrey trying to sneak out of the city and then pushed past Gus, with Grace and Ignis in tow and began to chase after him once more.

They were now outside of the city limits and chasing after Jeffrey with vigor. He was running, desperately looking for something. He found what he was looking for and Seth, Grace, and Ignis followed him, his Gardevoir, and Kabutops into a deserted clearing that Seth and his siblings had often played in when they were younger. Jeffrey suddenly stopped running and Seth stopped as well, on the other side of the clearing. Jeffrey and his Pokemon turned around and squared off against Seth and his.

Seth was breathing heavily and it looked like Jeffrey was as well. He did a quick glance through Jeffrey's emotions and found several he expected and one he did not. He detected an emotionless quality to Jeffrey's demeanor, trying to mask his true feelings. He picked up on Jeffrey's readiness, his confidence, and his experience. However, one emotion threw Seth. It was regret.

"You're quite the runner," Jeffrey said, breaking Seth's concentration.

Seth smirked and responded, "As are you. Now, is there a reason you shot a tazer at me?"

Jeffrey chuckled. "A sharp mind as well, I see. It's a shame I am employed to kill you, I think you and I would get along just fine."

The words stung Seth, but they practically killed Grace. This man was trying to kill Seth, her love, her savior, her…her mate! Emotions welled inside her. Pride that Seth was standing his ground, fear that he would soon meet his end, and a disdain for the man standing in front of them. She looked at the Gardevoir in front of her and sized her up. She was bulkier than most Gardevoir, so it was obvious that she trained her body more than her mind. Grace felt a presence trying to enter her mind, but she pushed it back with little effort, and then entered the Gardevoir's mind. She took a glance through memories, emotions, and feelings and found one very interesting one. Grace smiled devilishly and sent to Seth, **"Seth, the Gardevoir, her name is Lyra and she's in love with that man right there." **

"**Does he know?" **Seth sent back, not taking his eyes off of the man for a split second.

"**Yes, but they can't be together for some reason, I don't know what though."**

"**Thanks, what about the Kabutops?"**

"**She's just part of their team, but she looks pretty strong and she's done a lot of training." **Grace said before Jeffrey's voice rang out.

"Look, we're not here to chat or investigate minds, I brought you here, so that I can kill you without hurting anyone."

Seth was a little concerned, partially because of how he knew that this man's name was Jeffrey, and partially because he knew that Grace had been investigating his Pokemon's minds. Suddenly, Ignis was struck by the Kabutops. She was surrounded in water and she slammed into Ignis with a powerful Aqua Jet. After that, all hell broke loose.

Once again, it seemed that each battler was paired with another. Ignis was recovering from the Aqua Jet, but was ready to fight soon after, Grace squared off against Lyra, and she sent emotions of confidence to Seth to let him know that she'd be fine, this left Seth to fight with Jeffery.

Lyra ran up to Grace with surprising speed and her fist became encased in scarlet flames. Grace responded by teleporting out of the way and launched a Shadow Ball at Lyra. Lyra turned quickly and held up a see-through screen to deflect the deadly ball of energy. Grace then forced a bolt of electricity through her hands and it flew through the air, striking Lyra on the arm. Lyra cried out in pain, but quickly recovered and teleported behind Grace, who turned around to see a fist fly toward her, striking her and burning a small portion of her sweater. Grace was thrown back, but managed to teleport and land upright. She looked at the burn on her sweater. It wasn't large and it would have been her with the burn had she not been wearing the sweater. Grace's eyes flashed with anger and she threw her arm around, striking Lyra, who had tried the same tactic twice, on the face with a normal slap. Lyra was struck down to the ground and then Grace fired off an Energy Ball. The power of the blast sent Lyra flying, just barely missing a tree. Lyra managed to get up, but it was clear that the battle was taking its toll on her and Grace was beginning to feel fatigued as well.

However, their fight was cut off by Ignis flying into a tree in between them. He struck it with an audible grunt and slid down, head flaring up dangerously high. Ignis quickly sprung back to his feet and sprinted towards Kira who had many cuts and bruises lining her body. The two began to spar, matching each other's movements. Ignis kicked towards Kira's head and she moved her claw to counter it. She took her other sword and tried to stab Ignis' bare chest, but she only succeeded in scratching it as Ignis suddenly whirled around, using his foot that was against Kira's claw to swing on top of her, intertwining his legs around her head and thin neck. He then forced all of his weight back and did a back flip, landing on his hands and bringing Kira up in an arc and then slamming her down on the ground. She did not move. Ignis strutted forward proudly, but suddenly fell forward as Kira blasted him with the most powerful Hydro Pump that she could muster and blasting Ignis with it.

Whilst Grace and Ignis fought with Lyra and Kira respectively, Seth was in a deadly dance with Jeffrey. Seth realized he was in for more than he bargained for when he realized that he couldn't read Jeffrey's mind, there was something, kind of like a wall, blocking him from entering. Seth bit back a curse as the first tactic that Jake taught him failed. "Read your opponents mind, or what you can of it. Know their moves before they do." The words whispered back to him.

"Problem?" Jeffrey taunted, feeling Seth trying to enter his mind.

Seth smirked. "No, I was just giving you a handicap."

Jeffrey chuckled and then made to launch something at Seth, but Seth was already in action. He moved with lightning speed as his fist connected with Jeffrey's face in a dark purple blast. Sucker Punch. The second tactic that Jake had taught Seth was to always have the element of surprise. Jake was thrilled when Seth had learned to use Sucker Punch as it was quite the useful move if you saw your opponent ready to strike.

Jeffrey recoiled at the hit, his face hurting slightly more than had a professional boxer had punched him. Jeffrey pointed to the ground and suddenly commanded the rocks to fly at Seth who was hit with tiny flying projectiles. He stopped the torrent with Psychic, holding them in mid-air, gradually forming a makeshift Rock Wrecker. When the bombardment stopped, Seth ordered the rock to fly towards Jeffrey, who caught it using his own Psychic to stop it and send it back at Seth once again. This continued for a few seconds, the ball of rock being sent back and forth, to and fro, here and there, just like a game of catch. However, whoever dropped this ball would not be able to just pick it back up. Seth noticed that Jeffrey was becoming paler and paler as he paid the price to use Psychic. Finally, Seth managed to force the rock past Jeffrey's wall of energy and it slammed into him, but he did manage to soften the blow by using Recover at the moment of impact. Still the rock dealt some major damage to Jeffrey's body and Seth watched as he crawled out from under it.

Seth relaxed slightly, thinking the fight was over. However, Jeffrey surprised Seth. Out of nowhere, about thirty mini Shadow Balls formed around Jeffrey and launched at an unsuspecting Seth. Seth was hit with each one individually, each causing a small explosion to make several burn marks on Seth's body. Some seared through his shirt and pants, but none managed to get through his tough leather jacket. By the time the onslaught was finished, Seth was a mess of minor burns and his clothes were covered in wholes. Jeffrey had managed to get up and form about thirty more Shadow Balls, but he was still getting more and more white with each attack he used and his body was shaky. He launched the brigade of power at Seth, but Seth was ready. He stirred up the leaves on the forest floor and countered the flying spheres of shadow with his Magical Leaf. The leaves that didn't cut explode when they touched the Shadow Ball, continued on in their paths and sliced through Jeffrey's clothes and cut his skin, leaving trails of blood on his body. Finally, Jeffrey collapsed.

Seth remained tense as he cautiously approached Jeffrey's body.

"I've got him, don't worry," said a feminine voice.

Seth turned and saw Grace standing there with a worried expression on her face. She ran up to Seth and hugged him close. She then looked at his face and wherever else had been burned. She touched one on his face and Seth winced. "Sorry," Grace apologized. She then kissed where she had touched and asked, "Better?"

"Much," Seth responded before taking a look around the battlefield. Lyra was leaning up against a tree, too exhausted to fight, but she watched Seth and Grace carefully. Ignis and Kira were both out for the count and unconscious. Ignis was sprawled out while Kira was curled up in a tight ball. Finally Seth looked at Jeffery. He was still conscious, just unable to move much more than his mouth. Seth flipped him over and asked, "Alright, I'm gonna get straight to the point; who told you to attack me and why?"

Jeffrey, knowing that if he didn't respond correctly, then he'd be hurt even worse, answered truthfully. He took a deep breath and answered, "I don't know his name, all I know is that apparently you were stealing money from his company and he wanted you dead, that's all I know, I swear."

Seth and Grace looked at each other and then at Jeffrey. A quick look through his emotions was all it took to confirm what he was saying. "What about the ring?" Seth asked, gesturing to the elaborate ring that Jeffrey's employer gave him.

Jeffery looked over as Lyra crawled over to him and touched his face, glancing nervously at Seth and Grace. Grace smiled gently and nodded, so Lyra smiled back and looked at Jeffrey's cut up face.

Jeffrey looked at his hand where the ring was sitting. "I have no idea; he gave it to me and said to make sure I wear it when I kill you. You can look at it if you want."

Seth went to remove the ring, but all of a sudden, it disappeared, as if it had never been on Jeffrey's finger. There wasn't so much as an imprint. Seth looked at Jeffrey, who looked just as confused as he did.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Mali was sitting in his office along with the man who called himself the Liberator of Death. They said nothing as Mali stared at the man behind the mask, trying to figure out who it was. The Liberator merely stared at the floor, but suddenly perked up and said slowly and drawn out, "Etiam sit amet ipsum."

Mali nodded and the ruby ring then appeared on his desk. Mali sighed tiredly. "The other has failed; you know what to do, sir."

The Liberator grabbed the ring greedily and Mali could've sworn that his mask began to smile. "Et Seth partem sanguinis cum venero." With that, he dashed out of the room and Mali stood, walked to the door, and peeked out. He did not see the Liberator, not so much as a hair.

Mali walked backed into his office and looked out his window, over the city of Delictum and laughed a horrible laughter that would have caused a grown man to go insane with fear. "My son, your life is as good as mine!" he mumbled, resisting bursting out laughing once more.

**A/N: I'm back from hiatus now and I got this chapter done much faster than I thought I would, but I still like it a lot. I've changed a few things around writing style wise, but other than that, not much has changed, but I do have inspiration and ideas of where I want this fic to go.**

**Also, Jeffrey, Lyra, and Kira are not my characters; they belong to Infinity-bassman1010 and Bassmegapokemonlover, who share an account. I didn't credit them last chapter because Jeffrey really wasn't that major of a character.**

**The translations for the Latin are SUPPOSED TO BE (Google sucks as I can put in the Latin words and get something totally different then if it translated it from English) Translations: "The ring is coming." and "We will share Seth's blood when I return."**

**Finally, I have opened up requests, see my profile for details. **


	17. Pain of Many

"Text"- Normal Speech

"_Text_"- Dreams/Flashbacks

"**Text**"-Telepathy

[Text]-Translated Speech

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. OKAY NOW ON WITH THE FIC!**

**WARNING: The following scene is very dark, darker than anything that I've ever written. It's bad enough that both Lord Genesis Shadow and I agree that this warning is needed. If you do not want to read this VERY disturbing part, then skip down until you see where I marked the end of it. Once again, this is very dark and possibly very scary. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU CAN HANDLE IT.**

The man clad in gray rushed through the thin forest. Skinny trees were a blur as he ran, a mysterious force guiding his legs so that it was not truly he who was running. He had a target, Seth, and he aimed to make him disappear from existence fairly quickly. Everything was gone to him now, he did not feel the soft grass or the sharp rocks as they fell under his, silk enclosed feet, he did not hear the sounds of bird Pokemon chirping happily, and he did not smell the aroma of the flowers as the crossed his nose, covered by his dueling mask; the white and black sides still in their forever interlocking war for a dominance that neither would ever achieve.

Suddenly, the man stopped, barely making a sound as his feet stopped, not taking a single step from momentum, they just stopped. He listened carefully, listening as a small trickling noise made its way to his ears. That, however, was not what he was listening to. He then heard it, a slurp, as if one was drinking from said stream that trickled slowly by. The man followed the sound silently, not even bothering to sneak as he knew that he would be all but invisible to whatever was at the watering hole. He peeked through some bushed, emotionless eyes suddenly sparking to life as he spotted his newest prey.

A Lopunny was kneeling there, taking small handfuls of water and bringing them to her lips to sip. She slowly sucked in the water and gave a small smile at the cleanliness of the crystal blue water. The man in gray smiled underneath his mask and he moved from hiding, taking long, quick strides, still without so much as slight noise signaling his approach. The Lopunny, blissfully unaware of the danger that was approaching her, continued to drink happily from the stream, but stopped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She whirled around and was looking at the man, wearing nothing but gray. The only hint of color was his mask. He seemed to have come out of an old movie.

The Lopunny stood up and then took a small step back, unsure what to do about this strange man before her. "Punny?" she said, still cautious as to what this person could want to do with her.

The gray clad man said nothing; he just stared at the nervous Lopunny. The Lopunny looked through the eye holes of the mask and her sight, which was actually better than a human's, saw what looked like eyes, but instead of a normal color such as blue, green, or brown, his eyes were white! They looked like there was a circle inside of his eyes and there was a black pupil inside the circle. The Lopunny was so entranced by this man's eyes, that she didn't notice his arm reaching around her. Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist tightly and whirled her around so that her back was facing him. He then pulled the other arm back before the Lopunny could even process what was going on.

"LOPUNNY!" the Pokemon screamed as the man that had once held her interest now tied her ears to her hands. Her fine tuned ears picked up on the man murmuring something under his breath, but she couldn't understand it.

The man stepped back slightly as the Lopunny continued to scream in pain, tears beginning to form in its eyes. Her ears were tied to her wrists and now all that was left to take care of were her legs. The two, long, well toned legs that could probably kick in his boys if he didn't disable them. The man then stepped forward and kicked the Lopunny's back, causing her to fall to the rocky ground with a loud thud and a cry. The Lopunny looked back at the man as she tried to get up, only to be shoved back down to the ground. This time, the man placed his feet on each of the backs on the Lopunny's shins. He then dropped all of his weight on them, looking up and closing his eyes with a smile on his face as he heard them crack and the Lopunny screamed.

The Lopunny was now in agony. He fine tuned ears picked up every bit of her bones' cracking, every single chip, every single laugh by the man on top of her, and every bit of her desperate wailing for help. Tears now caused her brown fur to stick to her face and her amber eyes were becoming red and puffy. However, the man was not done yet.

Now that the Lopunny wasn't going anywhere, he rolled her onto her back so that all of her weight was on her arms. He then grabbed her, violently, by the neck and put a little pressure, eyes locked with the Lopunny's. He then walked, with the Lopunny by the neck, towards the stream. He looked at the flowing water and then at Lopunny, who had figured out what he'd intended to do and was frantically screaming and begging to be let go. He raised the Lopunny's head and then plunged it into the chilled water and just held it there. The Lopunny knew better than to struggle, as it would just waste breath, so she stayed calm and tried to ignore the pain that she was in. However, time soon passed and she could only stay under for so long before finally, a much needed bubble of air escaped her lips and popped at the surface. More time passed and finally, the Lopunny couldn't take it, she was seeing spots because of the lack of oxygen, and her chest was on fire. Right as she was on the verge of unconsciousness, the man yanked her neck up and then slammed her gasping, shaking form onto the stone encrusted river bank.

The Lopunny desperately sucked in deep gulps of air and looked around for the man, spots still present in her eyes. She then heard him, appear below her, but she was too tired to look down to see what she was doing. She felt an unbearable pain in her legs as he moved them, spreading them in a "V." It was then that she knew what he was doing. With renewed vigor, she began to thrash about screaming, "NO! PLEASE NO! I HAVE A MATE ALREADY! STOP!" The man couldn't understand her pitiful pleas, but he reveled in how much pain he was causing.

The man then took out his large manhood, which was slowly growing erect as he stared at the Lopunny's treasure. He positioned himself above her, carefully rubbing himself along the outside of her slit. His eyes lit up as he heard the Lopunny project an unwanted moan, unwillingly enjoying herself as the man rubbed her. Despite her moans and the waves of pleasure coursing through her body, Lopunny was still crying, thinking of her mate's smiling face, wishing that he was here right now. Suddenly, the Lopunny felt herself begin to stretch and she looked down in horror as she watched the man enter her. Another moan escaped her lips as he pushed deeper and deeper, slowly, forcing the Lopunny to enjoy her rape. He ran his hands over her body, slowly feeling every curve and imperfection in the Lopunny's body, and also causing goose bumps to pop up on her skin.

The Lopunny had stopped crying now; she felt that all of her tears were just wasted. She was being raped, and when he got what he wanted, hopefully the man would just leave. She felt dirty and slutty as she suffered, yet also enjoyed her raping. She saw her mate flash before her eyes, and felt so disgusted. She had promised herself that she was different from other Lopunny, that she was not a horny rabbit like the rest, and she had always promised to only sleep with her mate. As she continued to think about her mate, she stopped moaning and began to smile. He was a larger man, but not overweight by any means, he wasn't even another Pokemon, and she just prayed that she'd see him one last time before her end, just one last time.

The man in gray grunted as he suddenly released his load, poisoning the Lopunny's womb as she attempted to drive her fingers into the ground as an orgasm hit her as well. Her legs tensed painfully and she cried out as she gripped the man that she despised more than anything's cock and gave him a pleasure that she'd promised solely to her loving mate. Finally, she calmed down and the man stood up, examining her. She was sweaty, tearful, and absolutely exhausted as her chest heaved up and down. He loved seeing her this way, but his mind then twisted, seeing a way to torture her further, a way to make himself happy. He grinned manically and his mask seemed to smile along with him. The black side was now nearly overpowering the white, only a fraction of said color powering through the darkness.

The man clad in gray suddenly drew a knife out of his cloak and kneeled down at the panting figure before him. The Lopunny looked at him with disgust. What more could he take from her? The answer? Her leg. Like a meat carver, the man brought his knife up and then brought it down with a force so strong that incision made it all of the way to the bone before stopping. The Lopunny's mouth hung open in a silent scream as sheer agony pulsed through every inch of her body, despite just being cut in the leg. Blood oozed from the wound and spilled onto the ground, spoiling the colorful rocks and turning them red. Then, the man started sawing. Bone was cut and muscle was sliced, and the Lopunny not only was forced to watch and feel, but she heard everything that was going on. The grind of the knife against bone as it cut the pearly white structure, the slick sheath-like sound the knife made as it cut through muscle like butter, and the crazy laughter of the man, or was it his mask? Even though she was in so much pain, Lopunny did not scream, she did not cry, the only thing she did was look at her wound and see her mate cleaning the shining blood off and telling her not to worry, and that everything would be just fine. Then, it snapped. The Lopunny's eyes grew wide and her mouth closed as she choked back a sob. Where there once was a limb, there was now a gaping hole, revealing everything inside Lopunny, her life water, her support, her…everything, bared to the world and all covered in her precious life. The man stood up, holding her severed leg above her and letting the excess blood dribble onto Lopunny's face, even going so far as to make sure some got into her mouth. The Lopunny recoiled at the bitter taste of her own life and then watched, in terror, as the man did something that no sane being would ever do.

He bit into the leg, raw hide, meat, and remaining blood in all. He didn't even seem to remove his mask, it just was there, but the leg of Lopunny was behind it and in the sinister man's mouth. He ripped the leg away from his mouth and blood fell down his chin like the grease of a happy king's feast. The man shouted loudly to the heavens as the taste of flesh and suffering filled his mouth and stomach, inflating it with the warmth of life. Lopunny watched as he took bite after bite after bite of her own leg. Even though it was gone, she still seemed to feel his teeth sinking into the meat and tearing it away like a savage animal, completely blood-crazed.

As all looked bleak and the man finished his meal, Lopunny heard a voice that she thought that she'd never hear again. "Annabelle?" the voice called out. It was a man's voice and quite deep with a southern accent hinting his heritage. It was the voice of her mate. The man then pushed his way into the river bank and saw the scariest image he'd ever seen in his life. His mate, bound and helpless, a man with a mask that looked pleased with itself hovering like a predator over her, and worst of all, a clean picked bone of what seemed to be Annabelle's missing leg. "Annabelle!" the man screamed. The man in gray looked up and his eyes went wide as he saw a bear of a man charging towards him. He jumped up in order to dodge, but his foot was grabbed by Annabelle's mate and he was slammed to the ground.

However, Annabelle's mate was more concerned with his wife. He quickly dropped to his knees next to her and put her head in his lap. Annabelle looked up at him, the sun acting like a halo around his head. "It's gonna be alright, Annabelle, I'm gonna get you some 'elp and then make you your favorite food and, and, and…everything will be alright, I promise!" her mate said, trying not cry. He then quickly turned his attention to the man wearing the mask.

However, something was different about him. His mask was no longer primarily black, but now it was a sour cream like white. The mask no longer wore a smug expression, but now worse a sorry one; the eyes tilted down and the mouth did as well. Annabelle's mate stood up, placing Annabelle gently on the ground and looked at the man. He knew that if the man in gray ran, there would be no way to catch him. As he thought that, the man in gray began to run off, but about ten feet away, he shouted, "Ego can nunquam dimittetur, doleo." With that, the man in gray ran off with what seemed to be water flying off of his mask.

Annabelle and her mate watched as he ran, but her mate quickly pulled out a Pokeball and released a Slaking. He looked lazily at Annabelle and his eyes went wide. "We need to get her to the Center, now, no being lazy!" Slaking nodded, acknowledging that he'd understood. He picked up Annabelle and her mate gingerly and then began to sprint through the small forest.

(=)(=)(=)(=) – **END OF DISTURBING SCENE! – **Translation: I can never be forgiven, I am sorry.

Seth, Grace, Sarah, Bruce, Daron, and Abbey all surrounded Lyra and Jeffrey. They were now on the couch of their home and it was well after 10:00 at night. They had brought Jeffery, Kira, Lyra, and Ignis to the Center for treatment and a prescription for Seth's minor burns. Now, Jeffrey and Lyra were sitting on the couch in the Tenebrae house. Lyra was sitting fairly close to Jeffrey, but she seemed fidgety and nervous about something. Ignis was resting in his makeshift bed in the furnace room and Kira was with Mia in the pool.

Several minutes had passed before Jeffrey finally asked, "Are you just going to stand there, or what are we doing here?" The siblings and Pokemon looked at each other and then spread out throughout the room. Daron took his position in "his" chair and Abbey took hers on top of Daron's lap. Sarah sat on another chair, opposite Daron's, pulled her legs up underneath her and yawned, which was unsurprising considering that she'd been up for nearly two days straight. Bruce stood by her chair valiantly and said something to him, but she waved him off and he shrugged. Seth and Grace sat down on the love seat. Grace then, knowing that Jeffrey was not against her and Seth's relationship, lied down and put her head in Seth's lap. Seth responded by lightly rubbing Grace's arm. Jeffrey stole a quick, longing glance at Lyra, who was watching Daron mess with the hornless Absol's fur, and then quickly looked back at the siblings. There was an easy family resemblance between the three of them and they all had some similar mannerisms.

Finally, Sarah spoke. "So, why did you attack my brother Mr.…?" She trailed off and Jeffrey responded.

"Just call me Jeffrey, Ms. Tenebrae."

"Oh, please call me Sarah; I hate it when people call me Ms. Tenebrae!" The siblings smiled and even Jeffrey and Lyra managed small smiles. Sarah's smile, however, quickly became a look of deadly seriousness. "Now, why did you attack Seth?"

Jeffrey sighed and Lyra moved a little closer to him. "According to my employer, I was hired to kill Seth because he stole a lot of money from his company. Judging by this house, I'd say he was spot on, or you guys don't even need to steal the money."

"I'm the town's gym leader, so I get a lot of money from that, Daron, the man with the Absol is an artist and his paintings are world famous, and Seth, well he just figured out what he's going to do with his life." Sarah grinned cheekily at Seth, who proceeded to stick his tongue out at her and Grace giggled.

"Well, Jeffrey, I can certainly say that I've never stolen any money from a company." Seth assured, holding up one hand in an innocent gesture.

Jeffrey nodded and said, "I don't know why, but something tells me that you're the ones who are telling the truth and not my employer."

The group sat in silence for a while before Lyra finally spoke. "How about we get to know each other a little better?" she suggested.

Sarah and Daron looked at Seth and he translated, "She said that she wants to know us a bit better."

Jeffrey smirked. "How can you understand what she says?" he asked, genuinely impressed at the ability.

"Grace, the Gardevoir on my lap, translates for me and I can understand her for reasons that I'd rather not say, personal reasons."

"That's fine, I completely understand." Jeffrey relaxed in his chair a bit and the silence pervaded once more. Then, Jeffrey spoke once more. "My employer said that I had talents specific to taking you out. I didn't get what he meant until we fought and found that you were a psychic as well. Albeit, more powerful than I by a long shot."

Seth nodded. "Yes, it's part of the reason I can understand Grace. Now, sir, may I ask how you obtained your powers?"

"I was born with them. It kind of runs in the family and it's also how I can understand Pokemon without the use of a translator. I'm not particularly powerful, but I have control over my abilities, well, most of them anyway. However, I can't use a lot of them or use them for a long time as they tire me out after a while, so that's probably why you beat me so easily back there." Jeffrey explained.

Seth nodded and then looked down when he heard Grace sigh. He smiled at her and then looked around. Daron was just sitting in "his" chair, listening carefully to the conversation, not saying much. Abbey was curled up on his lap, not asleep, but seeming to drift between sleep and consciousness. Sarah was now flat out asleep; her head had fallen over the arm of the chair, so it was leaning against Bruce. Bruce chuckled slightly and said, "I'll take her to her bed, I will see you all in the morning." With that, Bruce picked up Sarah, bridal style and carried her out of the room and up the stairs to her room. He laid her gently in her bed and looked at her sleeping figure. She was quite a nice looking woman, and if she was a Pokemon, he'd have been happy to take her as his mate, but he wasn't Seth or Grace. He didn't know if he'd be able to get past the species difference, or if Sarah would ever see him as any more than a good friend. "Goodnight, Sarah," he said quietly, and then removed himself from the room, taking one last glance at Sarah before quietly shutting the door behind him.

Bruce went down to his makeshift bed alongside Ignis' and then quietly sighed. He reached underneath his mattress and pulled out a picture of him and Sarah, smiling at the beach. Sarah was wearing a big floppy hat with sunglasses while she held up the peace sign. He had a large smile on his face and he was sticking his tongue out. She was only sixteen in the photo, but it seemed like so much longer. Sarah had written stuff on the picture on the computer, like a lot of teenage girls did. The words wrote, "Me and my best friend, together forever!" Bruce sighed quietly once more and put the picture in its hiding place and then curled up into a ball and pulled the covers over him. "Sarah," he whispered. "Why do you seem to be falling away from me?"

(=)(=)(=)(=)

It was now midnight and the three groups still in the living room were still talking quietly amongst each other. Seth and Daron had spoken about their mother's death primarily as it was probably the only significant thing in their lives after Seth and Grace becoming mates. Jeffrey spoke about how he met Lyra and Kira, where he came from, how he was usually just a private investigator, but occasionally took on contracts such as the one he'd received to take out Seth.

By now, Lyra was asleep and resting against Jeffrey's shoulder, a small smile of contentment on her face. Jeffrey yawned widely and looked at Seth and Daron, who both seemed wide awake and fine. Grace and Abbey however were also not faring so well and finally Abbey hopped off of Daron and began to slink up to his room. She had decided to sleep there, at the foot of Daron's bed. She did this because, in his room, full of incomplete things, and strange and imperfect paintings that were at the same time beautiful, she felt so comfortable and happy.

Grace, seeing Abbey begin to slink off, lifted herself off of Seth's lap and stood up stretching slightly. She turned to Seth and leaned down, gave him a kiss, and said, "I'm going to bed, please don't be long."

"I won't, I promise," Seth responded, bringing her in for one more kiss and then letting her go. However, before she left, Seth used his psychic powers to lay an invisible hand on Grace's slit.

Grace shuddered for a second and then turned and sent telepathically, **"You'd better watch it, I may say "no," but maybe tomorrow, big boy."** She then turned her back to a grinning Seth and exited the room.

Grace walked upstairs, still blushing from how Seth had touched her. She knew she loved him, but she still didn't know if she was ready to go that far yet. If they did make love sometime soon, she'd have to make sure to tell him. As she walked up the stairs, she saw Abbey sitting in front of a painting of another Absol. The Absol was licking its paw, one eye open, looking at the viewer, and the other closed and focused on cleaning itself. Abbey was staring at it and cowering, backing away slowly. Grace moved behind her and Abbey bumped into her. She whirled around, but relaxed when she saw Grace's soft smile.

"What's the matter, Abbey?" Grace asked sitting on the floor, legs crossed in front of her.

"Nothing, nothing is the matter, Grace," Abbey lied, obviously blushing. Her eyes removed themselves from Grace's and she seemed to want to go off into her own little world.

Grace smirked. "Abbey, I can read your emotions, I know you're lying and I know something's up. What is it?"

Abbey looked into Grace's eyes. Red meeting red. Inside her eyes, Abbey could see happiness and calmness, an acceptance of herself and her life. However, she also saw a hidden past, one she didn't know about, and one that Seth helped her heal from. "It's just, Daron has all of these pictures of beautiful, perfect Absols, and I…I have no horn, my fur is wrong, and I'm….I…." She trailed off and choked a little.

Grace rested a hand on top of Abbey's shoulder and Abbey looked from the ground to Grace and back at the ground. She took one paw and pushed off Grace's hand. "Abbey," Grace said in a hushed voice. "You can tell me anything."

"I've known you for a few hours, how can I trust you?" Abbey retorted.

Grace thought for a moment before coming to a brave decision. "Let me show you something." Grace put her hand on Abbey's forehead and concentrated. Suddenly, flashes of memories appeared in Abbey's head. They were all of a Kirlia, whom she could tell was Grace and they were all horrible. The Kirlia was forced into humiliating positions and was forced to do disgusting things with a man and several Pokemon. The Kirlia was beaten and tortured, and Abbey felt all of the pain and sadness that she did. Finally, she saw a Gardevoir and Seth on what looked like a mountain. She then saw the Pokemon and human kiss with great passion, and she felt serenity and sheer joy emanating from the two. Then, it was done.

Abbey shook her head to clear it and then looked at Grace. "That was you, wasn't it?" Grace simply nodded. "You suffered all of that, but you seem strong and graceful. Why did you show me all of that? To give me nightmares?"

Grace giggled and responded, "No, not to give you nightmares. I did it to show you that I have nothing to hide, and that I can show my past to anybody, despite how embarrassing and painful it is. Seth and I taught each other that." Grace then removed each of her gloves and moved her feet out from under her. Abbey looked at each of her hands and feet and saw the same thing. White was surrounding a slightly discolored circle on each limb. "He gave those scars to me, my old trainer," Grace said, causing Abbey to look back at her. "But each and every day, Seth kisses them and tells me that it's okay, and that I shouldn't be ashamed, and that even if it's not exactly perfect, I am perfect to him. Now, tell me, what is that you're so ashamed of?"

Abbey took a deep breath and murmured, "I'm infertile." She then flushed a red to rival Grace's horns and buried her face in her paws.

Grace sighed. She knew that most Pokemon only mated to produce children and then left. It wasn't like that in the Ralts line as they mated for life, but most Absols only mated once and left the mother to bear and raise the pups. Being an infertile Absol meant that Abbey had no chance of ever finding a mate, permanent or temporary. In the wild, she'd have to suffer her heats alone, and she was probably picked on and tormented by other Absol for something completely out of control. Grace brought Abbey into an embrace and said, "Don't worry, we'll be childless together."

Abbey had buried her head into Grace's shoulder, but now looked at Grace. She cocked her head and asked, "W-W-What do mean by that?"

Grace looked at the ground. "I can't have children with Seth. It's the price I pay for falling in love with him, a human, but sometimes mating doesn't have to be about child-bearing, but just true love." Grace stared at Abbey and said, "I bet one day you'll find that perfect mate for you, even in places that you wouldn't suspect."

Abbey smiled happily and put her paws around Grace in a makeshift hug. "Thank you, Grace. Just for being a good friend."

"Aww, now ain't that sweet," said a voice from near Grace and Abbey. The two looked up and saw Seth and Daron standing there. Jeffrey was heading upstairs to his room whilst Lyra was heading into Grace's old room. It had been Seth who'd spoken and he said, "I take it something really sweet happened here, but I'll wait till the morning to ask what."

Daron's face had been stoic and his eyes had been an icy blue, but now his face brightened slightly and his eyes seemed to melt to become sky blue. "Where are you going to sleep, Abbey?" he asked, very little emotion in his voice.

Abbey released Grace and then trotted over to Daron and planted herself at his feet, tail wagging happily. Grace stood up and moved over to Seth. She held his arm with hers and then said, "I guess that answers that, now, dear, let us head to bed."

Seth nodded and said to Daron and Abbey, "Goodnight, both of you, I'll see you in the morning." Daron gave a small salute and Abbey yipped in response. They two then headed to Daron's room and he shut the door behind them. "Now, my dear, I think we'd best be getting to bed." Grace nodded as well and the two walked down the hall, entered their room, and crawled into bed with each other. Seth wrapped his arms around Grace and pulled her in close. Grace did likewise, this time planting a kiss on Seth's nose causing him to chuckle. "Goodnight," he whispered and kissed her once more on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth felt himself awaken in a familiar area. It was the white area of his mind where the only action was emotion. The square of emotion was now pink, the sign for love. Seth stood up and waited for one of his best friends to arrive. He didn't have to wait long as a familiar silhouette appeared and walked through the square. "Evening, Seth," Jake said with a smile. He looked at the square and said, "Glad to see this thing is still pink, I hope everything is alright with Grace."

Seth smiled and replied, "Yea, everything is fine, but we had to fight today."

Jake's smile faded. "Who did you have to fight?" he asked intensely.

"Some guy who said that a man had employed him to kill me because I was apparently stealing money from him." Seth explained, crossing his arms in a nervous gesture. "Why do you ask?"

Jake sighed and said, "These may be some enemies that I was talking about. From the fact that you're letting him stay in your house, I can tell that he's not an enemy, but whoever employed him was probably after your Mark." Seth nodded silently and motioned for Jake to continue. "Was he wearing a ruby ring?" Seth nodded eagerly and Jake continued, "That's probably what they use to suck our powers! Now that I know that you can handle yourself in a fight, then I probably don't have to focus so much on combat techniques, just on the transfer and resistance, and…and-" Jake was suddenly cut off by a sudden light coming from above Seth. It wasn't the usual flash that signified that they're time was coming to an end, but it was bright blue and a form seemed to be coming through it.

Suddenly, Grace dropped out of the blue light and fell into Seth's arms. She wrapped her arms around Seth's neck and looked around, obviously recognizing the place she was in. She looked at Seth and then at Jake and then back at Seth. She smiled nervously and blushed heavily. "Well hello there, dear," she said to Seth.

"Hello, Grace," Seth responded laughing energetically. Grace was still blushing furiously when Seth managed to calm down. He leaned down, with Grace still in his arms and kissed her lips. Grace stopped being embarrassed and melted into the kiss.

The two remained locked together in a loving kiss until they heard an amused voice say, "Is this going to become a porno here soon?" The two broke off, blushing lightly as they looked at Jake who had a smirk on his face. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Grace looked annoyed at Jake so she said something to Seth and he let her down. Grace then walked over to Jake and slapped his face, rather hard. Jake held his face as a red mark was appearing on his face. "Don't talk about Seth and me that way, Mr. Dead Man!" Grace threatened menacingly. She then smiled and said, "That will be all, thank you!" she then proceeded to walk back over to Seth who was holding his side and laughing uncontrollably. Finally, he stopped and then wrapped an arm around Grace, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

"I guess I deserved that," Jake conceded. "Anyway, how did you get in here, Grace?"

"Yes, how did you get into my mind, again?" Seth asked playfully.

Grace looked at the two men before her and shrugged. "I honestly don't know. One second I remember that I was having a nightmare and that I wanted to be nowhere but with you, Seth. I imagined myself being as close to you as I could and now I'm here!" Seth put his free hand on his chin and thought for a few seconds.

Jake then came up with an idea. "It appears that Grace's dream persona was fearful, so when she imagined herself near you, Seth, then her dream self went to your dream self, in other words, she's in your dream right now."

Seth nodded, completely amazed as to what was transpiring. As if getting trained how to use psychic powers by your dead best friend in your dreams wasn't strange enough, now he was talking to his technically illegal mate inside of his own dream! "This is sure bizarre."

Now it was Grace's turn to ask the questions. "So, boys, where are we?"

Jake looked at Seth and held up his hands. "She's your mate, you tell her."

Seth shot Jake an incredulous look and then took Grace aside and explained, "This is the area that you saw when I first met you. It's the area of my mind where only emotion exists, no thought."

"I always knew that some part of your mind was completely blank," Grace teased, but then was quiet when Seth smirked. Before he continued though, Grace planted a kiss on Seth's cheek.

"Anyway! Basically, this is where Jake trains me. He taught me how to use a lot of the moves that I can do now, and he's also taught me certain other things. If you're wondering why he's training me, it's for people like Jeffrey. Jake and I think that he was employed by a person who's trying to steal The Mark's power!" Grace gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "That ring that disappeared is what we think steals its power! However, he also is training me in two other arts. Resistance allows me to, even if one assassin succeeds, Arceus forbid, allowing me to keep my Mark and actually go so far as to allow me to come back to life!" Grace gasped again, but smiled a little inside at the thought that Seth was always going to be with her! "Finally, for the last few months, I've been transferring power to you, although you no longer need it because of The Mark you have now. I've also been giving it to Daron, Sarah, Gus, and almost all of our Pokemon. The more I give them over a longer period of time, the more likely they are to be able to come back at least once, similar to me. None of them are at a high enough level for them to do so because I spread it so thin, but hopefully they will within the year.

"So this is what you've been doing every night?" Grace asked and Seth nodded. Suddenly the lights started blinking rapidly and Grace clung to Seth. "What's happening?"

"Were leaving, Seth answered, smiling a little at Grace's confused face. Turning, Seth shouted, "Goodbye, Jake!"

Jake, who'd fallen asleep on the ground made no response, but just lay there as he seemed to disappear as Seth and Grace woke up.

**A/N: Another fast chapter done. Some days I just randomly get inspired and write a bunch of words. I think I've written the other four thousand words in this chapter outside of the dark and scary scene. Also, if you did read the scene, don't comment stuff like "Why did you put a warning on this? It isn't scary!" Some people have different levels of things they can handle, so be nice. If I do get any of those, I won't hesitate to delete them. Also, if you haven't already, check out the poll on my page. The results are pretty widespread.**


	18. The First is the Last

"Text"- Normal Speech

"_Text_"- Dreams/Flashbacks

"**Text**"-Telepathy

[Text]-Translated Speech

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. OKAY NOW ON WITH THE FIC!**

Two more months had passed since Grace's discovery of Seth's dream world. Ever since then, she had trained herself to be able to enter Seth's dreams at will and she also trained Seth to do the same. Now they could easily head into each other's dreams, which usually ended up being about each other. The training that Seth had gone through had been able to increase now that Grace was able to take over combat training completely. She taught him exercises and meditation in order to increase his abilities; the two usually did those activities together now.

Grace was now lying awake in the bed she shared with Seth. She was on her side with her back towards Seth, and his arm was draped over the top of her stomach, occasionally making small circles as he rubbed it. She wasn't pregnant, but she still enjoyed the feeling. The two made love at least twice a week, if not more, and Grace was now fairly confident, but still did not like to get too rough or too fast. Seth was only too happy to accommodate Grace's desires, and as long as she was happy, he was too. Grace smiled because she knew that she'd be with Seth forever, and he was her perfect mate. A kiss on her cheek snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Good morning, beautiful," Seth complimented, causing Grace to blush. No matter how often he did it, Grace always blushed with admiration.

Grace rolled over onto her back and looked at Seth, who was now on his back as well, looking right back at her, smiling the smile that sent Grace's emotions into overdrive. "Good morning to you too!" Grace whispered excitedly. Today was a very special day for her and Seth. Today was the day that the gyms reopened, and the day that the two of them would start traveling. Grace was more excited than a young school girl as today would be the day that she would finally get to truly see the world. She would see it with a person that she loved, not one that she despised, in a small metal cage and with constant beatings by other Pokemon.

"Are you ready for today?" Seth asked slowly stroking Grace's arm. He couldn't wait to begin to travel with his mate. He was even more ready to finally travel with someone at his side, and not just go camping alone.

"Yes, but…" Grace trailed off, a sort of half-smile on her face.

"But what?" Seth asked, a small amount of concern emanating from him.

Grace's smile turned devious as she said, "But we won't have as much time to, you know…" She then moved on top of Seth and he got the message. The two had already had sex the previous night, so they were both nude. Grace pressed her lips against Seth's in a passionate kiss. Seth then felt Grace's tongue prodding his lips, begging for admission to Seth's mouth. Seth obliged and opened his mouth, causing his and Grace's tongues to intertwine and begin to dance. Seth slowly began to caress Grace's curvy body and he ran his hands over her soft, smooth skin as she moaned a little, slowly becoming more and more aroused. Seth then took one of his hands and slowly ran one finger down her neck all the way to the small of Grace's back. Grace shuddered as goose bumps chilled her body. "Seth, I love you," Grace slowly managed as Seth began to play with one of her small, perky breasts.

Grace groaned in sheer pleasure, but then, out of nowhere, the door to her and Seth's room burst open and an Eevee bounded inside. Grace screamed and fell off of Seth, pulling the covers over her and Seth, covering their most private areas. The Eevee was running around the room frantically and yipping about nothing in particular. "Hi guys, daddy is chasing me, want to play, why are you still in bed, can I have some more kibble, when's my birthday, why is Mommy not playing, can I jump on your bed, ooh shiny!" Grace suppressed a disappointed look at the ruined mood, but couldn't help herself as she started to giggle at the Eevee pup. Seth was doing the same. The female Eevee, whose name was Sunny, was hatched about one month prior and was a small brown fur ball with boundless energy.

Dusk then burst through the doorway, clearly breathing hard. He looked over at Seth and Grace, who were both just covered by their comforter and he blushed profusely. "I'm so sorry guys, so sorry!" Dusk desperately apologized, and then he lunged at Sunny. He chased her around the room for several minutes whilst apologizing every five seconds. Finally he caught up with Sunny and he bit the scruff of her neck, pulling her up off of the ground and he chastised, "Sunny, you don't run away from me ever, especially when we're inside, you could get hurt, and you probably embarrassed Seth and Grace!" Dusk set her down on the edge of the bed, still blushing along with Grace and Seth and said, "Say you're sorry." Sunny mumbled something incoherent. "I can't hear you," Dusk chimed.

"I'm sorry for bursting in," Sunny said glumly, holding her head down.

"I-It's alright, Sunny," Seth cooed, "Just be more careful in the future." Sunny nodded happily and then bounced back out of the room.

Dusk awkwardly walked to the door, said that he was sorry once more, and then left to go see what other trouble Sunny had gotten herself into.

Grace sighed and laid her head on Seth's shoulder. "Well I guess now that the mood is gone, we'd better get up." Grace sighed quietly once more.

Seth used his powers to close the door and then cupped Grace's cheek with his hand. He placed a kiss on the other one and said, "Well then, I guess we'd better get dressed." Grace sighed a final time before finally getting out of bed and getting ready for the day; Seth did likewise.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron was sleeping with his pillow over his head. He was shirtless as his room got fairly hot, even in January and his bottom half was dressed in black jeans. Abbey was spread across the foot of Daron's bed and her paws twitched occasionally in her sleep. Paintings of Abbey now joined the many works on Daron's wall. They were all in different positions. Some just showed Abbey sitting, some showed her in a playful pose with her belly up and paws swatting at something, and Daron's personal favorite was the one of just Abbey and him, passed out in Daron's chair in front of the roaring fire. Abbey's head was next to Daron's and he had his arms wrapped around her like a child holding a stuffed animal. Sarah had taken the picture and Daron merely painted it.

As Daron and Abbey slept, they failed to hear the door creak open a little. Standing outside was Umbra, shyly watching as Daron's bare chest rose and fell in time with his breathing. She didn't understand why she loved watching Daron like that, but she just did and she did every morning. She leaned in slightly, but suddenly fell forward and crashed into Daron's room quite ungracefully.

The sudden commotion woke Daron and his eyes jerked open and Abbey fell off of the bed and into a small bit of blue paint, staining her white fur blue. Daron sat up in bed, cracked his back, and then scratched his head. Abbey sighed at her stained fur and began to walk on three legs towards the door where Umbra was standing, blushing profusely, and hugging her stuffed Teddiursa close, a small blush adorning her face. Daron looked at her, eyes still half closed in sleep and shook his head to clear it. After several awkward minutes, Daron finally spoke. "Morning, Umbra. Why did you wake me up?"

Umbra was beginning to sweat nervously as her eyes darted around the room, but Daron was too sleepy to notice. Umbra then saw the calendar hanging on the wall. "Sneas!" Umbra exclaimed, pointing to the Dark Pokemon calendar. Each page had a different Dark Pokemon on it, and the very first one was a Weavile, slashing its claws menacingly at the cameraman.

Daron looked at the calendar and saw that he had circled the date. He crawled towards it on his bed and then looked at the date. Inside, he had written, "Travel today!" Daron's eyes shot open and he jumped out of bed into the same bit of blue paint that Abbey had and began to frantically pull stuff into a large back pack. Umbra watched as he stuffed clothes, toiletries, and a few paintbrushes into his pack. He zipped it up quickly and then grabbed a smaller string bad and began to fill it with assorted artist's tools. He placed paints, pencils, colored pencils, charcoal, erasers, and any other assorted tools that one would use to create an image on paper. He then darted into the bathroom, pushed Abbey, who was in the process of washing her paw, out of the way and closed the door. Umbra looked at Abbey, confused as to what Daron was doing, and then the two looked at the door. They heard the shower go one for about two minutes and then turn off. Daron opened the door once again. He was in wet, solid black boxers and his pants were slung over his shoulder. Umbra and Abbey blushed as Daron walked back into his room and then closed the door once again. After several more minutes of confusion, Daron came out, fully dressed, a little out of breath and holding four Luxury Balls, each in its smaller form. In addition to his normal garb, he had the larger backpack on his back and the string bag on his backpack. He then briskly walked down the hallway, down the stairs, and into the kitchen, where Sarah was sitting in some shorts and a bikini top. Her hair was in a ponytail and plastered to her back, and she was eating a bagel.

Sarah turned to see Daron standing there, looking like he was ready to go for a journey and she suppressed a grin. "Going somewhere, Daron?" she asked, moving her hand to keep the food in her mouth.

Daron looked confused and he questioned, "Have Seth and Grace left yet?"

At this, Sarah burst out with uncontrollable laughter. Daron's eyes narrowed and he waited until Sarah calmed down. Sarah looked at Daron to see his arms crossed and eyes shooting daggers at her. "Look at the time, Daron."

Daron turned his head to see the clock perched above the stove. The time read 8:00 in the morning. Daron's jaw dropped in disbelief. Seth and Grace hadn't planned to leave until 10:00 and even then, Seth was planning on battling Sarah for a badge. Since it was January, the gyms were open. Trainers, new and old, were beginning their quest to collect all eight badges and take on the tournament at the end of August.

Daron stared at the clock and then looked at his sister, who was still grinning, and he dropped his bags. He roughly pulled out a chair at the table and sat down heavily. He put his elbow on the table and put his head in his hand. "19 fucking years and I still don't just look at the clock before I rush to get ready." He let out a sigh, and Sarah gave him a pat on the back.

"It's okay; I think Seth and Grace just got up. I heard Sunny running around upstairs and I heard Grace scream. By the way, who is Sunny registered to?"

Daron looked up at Sarah and said, "I really don't know. She's not old enough to be registered yet. I prefer dark-types, but if she goes with you will she be used in gym battles?"

"She doesn't have to be," Sarah answered. She then thought for several seconds and suggested, "We could always ask Seth if he wants her to be registered to him, and he doesn't have an Eeveelution."

"Nah, his Pokemon didn't do anything to make that Eevee."

"No, but one of his Pokemon does the process with him," Sarah responded, earning a bout of laughter from the twins.

"**I heard that,"** said a masculine voice in both Sarah and Daron's head. The two turned to see Seth and Grace walking into the kitchen. Both Sarah and Daron blushed a vivid shade of red as the two took seats at the table. Seth used his powers to pop some bread in the toaster for Daron and himself and then got some Pokemon food for Grace. Even though most of the Pokemon did eat human food, they all needed normal Pokemon food to help themselves grow normally.

The group sat in silence for a while until Seth asked, "Why are you all wet, Sarah?"

"I went swimming with Mia and Kira," she responded casually.

"In the pool?" Sarah nodded. "It's freezing outside and you jump into the water. What is wrong with you girl?"

"The indoor pool, dear brother."

Grace giggled as Seth sunk down in his seat slightly. After several more minutes of silence, Seth noticed that Daron was already packed and ready to go. He was to join Seth and Grace on their journey across Shilonen, but for a different reason. While Seth wanted to challenge and defeat gym leaders, Daron wanted to explore the world in a different light. Daron had said that the last time he went out, he was depressed and miserable, so his paintings reflected that. Now, however, he was lighter, but still had a darker side, so he wanted to see how his drawings and paintings came out now. "Hey, Daron, since you're ready and Grace and I packed last night, how about we get started a bit earlier?"

Daron was in the middle of a bite of toast, so he held up a finger and swallowed. "I don't see why not, but if you're planning to challenge Sarah first, then she needs to get ready, like now!"

Sarah's eyes widened and she quickly stood up, whirled around, which resulted in everyone in the room getting a nice spray of water to the face, and then sprinted up to her room, pushing Jeffrey against the wall in the process. Jeffrey entered the room with a small smile on his face. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "Hey, guys," he said, any hint of nervousness gone from his voice. He had been living with the siblings for the past couple of months because his original sleeping arrangements were at Mali's hotel/office. He had graciously accepted the offer as he, Lyra, and Kira had been searching for an extended vacation and since Seth and Daron would be leaving, Sarah wanted someone besides a drunken butler to keep her company. "Sleep well?" Jeffrey asked.

Daron wiped the water off of his face and Seth and Grace did likewise. "Not too bad, Umbra woke me up though," Daron stated flatly as Abbey and Umbra walked into the room. Daron looked at the two, smiled, and placed a hand on Abbey's head. He then picked up Umbra in one arm and set her on his lap, causing Abbey to place a look of annoyance of her face which Daron didn't notice.

Jeffrey nodded, noting Abbey's look of frustration, but he didn't say anything as he made himself a bowl of cereal.

Jeffrey was about to say something, but Sarah's voice won out. "Alrighty, the Pokemon and I are ready to go when you are, boys."

Everyone looked up to see Sarah in her usual winter attire of a thin purple sweat jacket and a white blouse underneath. Black jeans adorned her legs and basic white sneakers were on her feet. Her hair was still damp and still in its ponytail, but it looked brushed and groomed. Jeffrey looked at Sarah, then at the clock, and then at Seth and Daron. "There was about two minutes since she left." The brothers nodded. "How did she manage to get com-" Jeffrey was cut off by Seth's hand.

"Don't ask, she just can, now let's finish breakfast." Jeffrey shrugged and went back to his cereal.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

The group was now walking towards the Gym with bags in tow. All of Sarah's Pokemon were at the gym and preparing for their first gym battle in a while. Daron's were all in their Luxury Balls, except for Abbey who suffered from the same claustrophobia that Grace did. Daron found that out when he put her in and she popped right back out, a look of terror frozen on her face and her claws digging into Daron's chest. All of Seth's Pokemon, save Grace, were in their Luxury Balls as well. Grace was walking next to Seth, her hand in his lovingly, and her other arm huddled against her warm sweater. Seth and Grace were fairly open about their relationship in Creativita. Any person who was a resident was open-minded and quickly accepted the duo's relationship, going so far as to praise them for their bravery. Jeffrey was at the house, deciding against watching Seth's match, but he would be there to say goodbye.

On their backs, Seth and Daron each had backpacks. Daron's carried a few extra clothes and basic toiletries, along with his thick sketchbook. Daron also carried a larger backpack underneath. That one was filled with his art supplies and a small surprise for Umbra. Seth had the same type of backpack as Daron, filled with clothes, a little medicine, and plenty of Pokemon and human food. Also on Seth's back was his guitar. As Seth wanted to write about his travels, he had figured that he'd better put them into a musical form. During the past two months, he'd written several love songs about Grace and figured it was time for something new.

Grace suddenly stopped walking, causing Seth to stop as well. She then resumed when Daron and Sarah were a little farther away. "Seth," she said quietly, a hint of nervousness coming from her. Seth looked at her and acknowledged that she had spoken, so Grace continued. "I-I don't want to face Sarah."

Seth looked at her curiously. "After all of that training we did, you don't think that we're ready?"

"No, it's not that. It's just, when…that man…used me battle, it was in a gym. I lost it for him and then," Grace broke off, took a small breath to calm herself and said, "That's when he gave me my scars."

Seth let go of Grace's hand and put his around her waist, pulling her close. "I don't care if you lose; just go for it with all of your might. Okay?"

Grace felt comforted by Seth's words and she sighed quietly. "I still don't think I can do it. You said yourself that Sarah is far stronger than when I saw her battle last, and I barely have any experience. Please, Seth, I really don't want to right now, maybe at the next gym, but…not now." Grace looked at the ground a blush of shame on her face.

Seth smiled gently and looked around quickly. There was no one in the vicinity so he planted a quick kiss on Grace's cheek. Even though they could be fairly open, the occasional tourist or trainer came into town and if Seth and Grace were caught doing something like kissing then they could be in some serious trouble. Unless, of course, they were reported to the Creativita police.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

The group had arrived at the rebuilt gym. Sarah stopped, placed her key in the door and then stepped inside. She smelled the gym, new and ready for use other than just random battles. She never went full force in those of the Creatia Festival anyway. She was ranked as the 8th gym leader in Shilonen, the highest next to the Elite Four and the Champion. The ranking system was not so much a specific order that you had to follow, as shown by Seth, but rather a difficulty ranking. The lower numbers were less experienced and generally an easier challenge. Although you didn't need to battle the gyms in any specific order, all of them, save for the first two, required that you have a certain number of badges. For Sarah's gym, it was six, the most of any Gym Leader. She was only making an exception for Seth because he was her brother and she knew that he could possibly beat her, plus she was kind of eager to see what Grace could do.

"Grace won't be battling," Seth announced as he stepped inside, soon followed by Grace, Daron, and Abbey.

Sarah tilted her head as she switched on some lights, illuminating the shiny surface of the battlefield and the rows of new seats. "Why not?" she asked flatly, although she had a sneaking suspicion why.

"I think you know why," Seth answered, leading Grace over to her seat in the comfortable chairs on the sidelines. Daron sat next to her and Abbey leapt up on top of him.

"Seriously, girl? I mean, I don't mind, but EVERYWHERE?" Daron shouted, trying to suppress a laugh as Abbey grinned sheepishly. He ruffled her fur and then watched as Seth and Sarah took up opposite ends of the field.

The two turned on their respective damage reducers and eyed each other with excitement. Grace was leaning forward in anticipation. She was eager to see Sarah's true power and what Seth would do about it.

"Ready, Seth?" Sarah called. Seth nodded, but then looked at the empty referee stand.

"Don't we need a ref?" Seth answered back. Sarah made a pouting face and then looked as if she entered a state of thinking.

"I can do it!" said a childish voice from behind everyone. They all turned to see Ray and his Gliscor, Skylar, standing in the door. "Sarah just finished teaching me how to ref!" he said happily and Skylar giggled behind him.

Sarah laughed and replied, "Alright, just remember, don't let my brother cheat!" She glared at Seth with fake anger and then broke into a grin.

Ray climbed up on the stand and held one green flag, Seth's color, and one red flag, Sarah's color. He lifted both flags in the air and the yelled, "This match is between the challenger, Seth, and the Gym Leader, Sarah. This battle with be a full party battle, and no one may make any substitutions!" Ray glanced at Sarah who gave him a quick thumbs up and then reached for her belt. Ray quickly lowered the flags and shouted, "Let the battle begin!"

"I hope you're ready, Seth. Let's see what Slash will do!" Sarah threw Slash's ball and he popped out, growling menacingly, a small gleam in his eye. Seth silently threw a ball up in the air and revealed Shock, his arms folded in front of him, ready to fight.

"This battle will be fought between Zangoose and Electivire! Begin!" Ray shouted with so much enthusiasm that he stumbled backwards, only to be caught by a giggling Skylar.

"Swords Dance, Slash!" Sarah ordered, and the Zangoose quickly performed the usual dance that Sarah always did with him. Seth remained silent. "Quick Attack, let's go!" With unusual speed, Slash ran forward and tried to slam his body into Shock's.

Seth however, managed to predict this. "Protect," he said calmly. Shock held up one of his hands and the green barrier appeared before him, stopping Slash directly in his tracks. "Thunder Punch," Seth commanded and Shock obliged. His fist was charged with electricity and he brought it down to slam on the Zangoose.

"Counter!" Sarah called with a grin on her face. Seth cursed as Shock smashed his fist into the Zangoose, causing some major damage, but all of the damage soon became Shock's as he was sent flying as he made contact with Slash. "Double Edge." Slash dashed forward towards the downed Electivire and he threw his body into Shock with deadly recklessness. The impact sent Shock sailing into a wall, knocking him into unconsciousness. However, it looked like the attack had done some serious damage to Slash as well as he knelt on one knee.

"Electivire is unable to battle, the winner is Slash!" Ray said as he held up the red flag.

Sarah grinned as Seth nodded in acceptance. "Good work, Shock, I'll do better next time." Seth placed Shock's ball back in his pocket and then pulled out another. "Alright, Lacy, let's finish this." In a flash, the floating white ice-type was on the field. Her hand was over her mouth in the signature Froslass gesture.

Lacy saw Slash, breathing heavily and on one knee, but his claws still looked deadly, and she knew that he knew the move Shadow Claw. [Are you sure I can do this, Seth?] Lacy asked without taking her eyes off of Slash, who was now getting up and preparing to fight.

"I know you can, Lace," Seth responded, an encouraging tone was in his voice.

[Alright, I'll probably lose, but okay.]

Seth smiled. Ever since he'd been able to understand her, he'd realized that Lacy was quite the pessimist, but she was kind and gentle, so he could overlook that. Sarah suddenly shouted, "Slash, Quick Attack into Shadow Claw!"

"Hail." That was all that Seth said and Lacy responded instantly. Out of nowhere a cloud formed above the field and hail started to rain down in a flurry. Its golf ball sized hail stones pounded on Slash's head, causing him to lose focus and stumble. He tripped forward and became sprawled out on his stomach. More hail hit his back and he cried out in pain as a particularly large one hit his back and he fell unconscious. "Stop the hail, Lace!" Seth shouted above the storm. Lacy pulled her hands back and the hail seemed to retract into nothingness.

"Zangoose is unable to battle, Froslass is the winner." Ray held up the green flag and Sarah recalled Slash, congratulating him on a job well done.

"Guess we're one down each," Sarah commented, pulling another ball from her belt. Seth nodded and then Sarah threw the ball. After the glow died down, Brush the Smeargle appeared before everyone. "Alright, Brush, let's beat this ghost!"

Brush suddenly stiffened and held his tail close to his body. [Ghost!] Brush shouted in a rather dopey sounding voice. [I'm scared of ghosts!]

Sarah put her hand on her forehead and said, "The Froslass, Brush." Despite not being able to understand him exactly, Sarah knew that Brush tended to jump at the slightest of noises during the night. Her saying the word "ghost" did not help his mood. When Brush relaxed, Sarah instantly shouted a command, not waiting for Ray to officially start the battle. "Let's try one of her own moves against her, Brush. Use Shadow Ball!"

"Dodge, Lacy," Seth countered. As Brush formed the blob of shadow and launched it, Lacy floated gracefully out of the way. "Hail once more." Lacy moved her arms up and a heavy cloud formed above the field once again. The hail rained down once again. Brush nimbly dodged most of the hail with only a few of the hail stones touching his fur.

"Flamethrower, Brush!" Sarah called out and Brush began to charge the fire in his mouth. With a great breath, Brush spewed the intense blaze out of his mouth. He kept up the inferno, desperately trying to find his target, but Lacy's Snow Cloak ability was coming into play, causing her disappear and reappear seemingly randomly. Sweat was forming on Brush's brow despite hail constantly pounding it.

"Blizzard." Lacy opened her mouth, behind Bush, and the hail suddenly flew directly at him, a gale wind propelling it forward and it seemed that an Ice Beam was in there as well. Brush turned at the exact wrong time and got a face full of the cold white snow. He flew backwards and as he was about to land Sarah gave a final command.

"Destiny Bond!" Brush's eyes glowed and a dark mist surrounded himself and then around Lacy. Brush suddenly felt a hard surface on his back and he blacked out from the intense attack and the blow to his back. He fell, face-first, onto the floor and groaned in pain. Lacy smiled joyfully, happy that she had proved herself, but then, she felt quite faint. It felt like all of the energy was being sucked out of her and she too fell into blackness, only she managed to lie down before she blacked out.

Both of the siblings recalled their Pokemon as Ray called, "The match is a tie!" Seth and Sarah were grinning in anticipation as they each launched their Pokemon. Both sides tossed them at the same time, so the glow was twice as bright, but when it died down, the two combatants were revealed as Dawn and Mia. "The match between Espeon and Milotic shall now begin!"

Dawn and Mia eyed each other but Seth then heard a small, but loud cry. [GO MOMMY! 'mgonnacheerandthengotosleep! Who wants to play ring-around-the-daddy?] Seth noticed that Daron had released all of his Pokemon, including Sunny, who was talking so fast that her words were becoming an incoherent mess. Everyone laughed, but soon the attention was back on the intense battle. However, Grace's eyes were on the young Eevee pup, standing next to her proud father as they watched the Espeon fight.

"Psybeam, Dawn!" Sarah shouted, pointing at Mia for dramatic effect.

Dawn's gem glowed a brilliant purple and then she shot a multi-colored ray at Mia. "Dodge, then Ice Beam!" Seth responded. Mia twisted her long body into an "O" shape so that the beam went harmlessly through it. Then, a light blue orb was in her mouth; she screamed and blasted a beam of cold at Dawn. It hit and Dawn cried out, but was quickly on her feet, ready to fight.

"Psychic," Sarah stated calmly, a look of thought on her face. Dawn's eyes glowed as she picked up the Milotic, who was trying to thrash in order to get free. "Try the move we've been working on." Sarah said calmly. Dawn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, still maintaining control over Mia.

"Mia, use Hydro Pump!" Seth called desperately. Mia opened her mouth, but it was too late. Dawn had already charged up her move. Her gem became a flashy yellow and an arch of lighting launched itself from it and flew straight into the airborne Milotic. Mia screamed in pain as the electricity coursed through her body, grateful for the damage reducers. Dawn released Mia with a loud breath and she fell to the ground. Her long body was limp, but she managed to hold her head up.

"Psybeam, quickly," Sarah said smugly. Dawn charged up once more and launched a weaker purple and pink beam at Mia, striking her head and knocking her unconscious.

"Milotic is unable to battle, Espeon is the winner!" Ray announced, holding up the red flag towards Sarah.

Recalling Mia, Seth asked, "What was that move Dawn used?"

"Discharge," Sarah answered quickly, impatient for Seth to take out his next Pokemon.

Seth smiled slightly and pulled out his next Luxury Ball. "Fiore," he said flatly.

Fiore appeared and then did a little, ballerina-style, twirl on one foot and then giggled. She looked up and shouted, [Hi Dawn!]

Dawn smirked. [Fiore, we're battling.]

Seth smiled, but snapped his attention back to the battle and nodded at Ray. "The battle between Roserade and Espeon will now begin!"

"Let's finish this quickly, Dawn, use Psybeam!" Sarah called out confidently.

Dawn began to charge up, just as she usually did, but Seth was ready. "Toxic!" he called, mimicking Sarah's confidence. Fiore giggled and then held one of her flowers out and launched a thick, purple substance at Dawn, who was hit due to her charging Psybeam. "Now Venoshock!" Sarah cringed as Fiore launched another spray of poisonous liquid at Dawn, this time dealing the damage directly. Dawn moaned in pain as she felt the poison both on the inside and outside take effect, weakening her drastically.

"C'mon Dawn!" Sarah encouraged, "Try using Psychic!"

Before Dawn could even think about attacking, Seth shouted, "Energy Ball, Fiore!" Fiore laughed giddily and then formed the orb of grassy energy and she launched it, slamming into Dawn and defeating her. "Good job, Fiore," Seth complimented.

[Thank you, Daddy!] Fiore shouted and then did yet another twirl, ending with a bow.

"Espeon is unable to battle, so Roserade is the victor!"

Sarah recalled Dawn and said, "You're doing well, Seth, but you know who's up next, I hope! Come on out, Bruce!" Sarah launched the ball and Bruce popped out, landing heavily on one knee, a glint in his eye. "Let's show em who's boss, Bruce!"

[You got it, Sarah] Bruce replied. He had always loved gym season, and after the little Roserade, he could kick Ignis' ass.

"The match bet-" Ray was cut off by Sarah instantly ordering a command.

"Blaze kick!" she shouted. With the speed only a Blaziken could muster, Bruce dashed forward and leaped with his foot burning with an intense flame.

"Extrasensory!" Seth shouted at Fiore. Fiore responded by holding her flowered hands out in front of her. Her eyes glowed as a strange force flew towards Bruce. However, Bruce merely slammed through it, although Seth could tell that it had hurt him slightly. Bruce's kick then connected with the center of Fiore's chest and she flew backwards. Managing to do a flip in mid-air, Fiore slid backwards on her feet. "Sludge Bomb!" Fiore tried to raise her hands to launch the attack, but Sarah had already called out the finisher.

"Flare Blitz!" she called and Bruce rushed at Fiore. As he ran, his wrists ignited and the rest of his body soon followed suit. Soon he was a massive fireball of explosive power. He slammed into Fiore heavily, causing massive damage and she flew back once more, this time, however slamming into Seth's chest. He caught her with a grunt and looked at the blank expression on her face.

Seth nodded to Ray who said, "Roserade is unable to battle. This round goes to Blaziken."

"Time for you, Ignis!" Seth called out as he threw Ignis' ball.

Ignis appeared on the battlefield. He saw Bruce, his oldest rival, and began to beat his chest and scream. [Let's go Bruce; I'm gonna fucking drive your fucking ass into the motherfucking ground! Alright Seth, let's teach this son of a bitch a thing or two about fucking with ME!] Ignis screeched much like a howling monkey and did an agile flip.

Bruce merely groaned, but right before Ray was about to begin the match, Jeffrey, Lyra, Kira walked into the gym. All heads turned to look at him and he blushed lightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just take my seat now." Jeffrey grabbed Lyra's hand and Kira's blade and quickly walked to their seats. He motioned to Ray.

"Let the battle begin!" he called and dropped both of the flags, eager to see the two Fire-fighting types in action.

"Close combat, now!" both of the siblings called at the same time. Like two old friends, the Pokemon leapt at each other. Soon, fists and feet were flying everywhere. Bruce swung an uppercut towards Ignis' chin, but Ignis grabbed his fist with his hand and swung one of his feet into the Blaziken's midsection, knocking the wind out of him. Bruce blew hot air on Ignis' face and Ignis seized his chance. His fist glowed blue and struck fast and true and he slammed his Mach Punch directly on Bruce's beak. Bruce backed away for a second, but then returned to the frenzy, this time; he pressed the attack, not letting Ignis get a chance to fight back. He pecked at Ignis' face and then kneed his stomach.

"Thunder Punch, Bruce," Sarah cried, her voice was shrill from the excitement of the battle. Bruce raised an electrified fist up and then slammed it on Ignis' head, sending him sprawling on the ground. Bruce backed up slightly and Ignis struggled to get up. Electricity was all through his body and he was slowly becoming more and more paralyzed. "Finish this, Bruce! Close Combat, GO!" Sarah shouted ecstatically.

"C'mon Ignis, try for Counter," Seth urged, desperate to at least take Bruce out with Ignis. Ignis tried to move his arms, but they were firmly stuck. All Seth and Ignis could do was watch as the Blaziken leapt from the floor and came down hard with a smash to Ignis' flaming head. Bruce soon began to execute a series of elaborate swings which constantly knocked Ignis around. Finally, Seth could take no more. "I give this match, Sarah won," he conceded.

Sarah responded, "Bruce, stop, he's done." Bruce quickly stopped, looked at his beat up rival and then smugly turned around and walked back to Sarah, giving her a quick congratulatory hug, and then stood by her proudly. Ray was getting down from the stand and Seth had recalled Ignis. Grace walked over to Seth and touched his shoulder tenderly. Daron got Abbey off of him and then stretched for a while before recalling everyone and heading down to join Seth and Grace. Jeffrey, Kira, and Lyra remained seated for now. Sarah walked over to a table, smiled, and then jogged to where Seth, Daron, Grace, and Abbey were speaking. "Hey, Seth," Sarah called, "Catch!" Sarah then threw a small, metallic object at Seth and he caught it in one hand.

Seth opened his hand and saw his sister's famed badge, the Creation Badge. It was a curious badge, modeled after the Celtic symbol for creativity and wisdom. A circle was cut out of the middle where it seemed that seven extensions protruded from. Each was thinner towards the center and fatter towards the top. The extensions were each a color of the rainbow, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and finally purple. The badge shone in the early morning sun, causing a small glare to appear on it.

Seth looked at Sarah curiously. "I lost, I can't have this badge, Sarah, and you know that."

"I can give it to whom I choose, and I feel that, even though you lost, you did well enough to earn that badge, end of story. Now, let's get our Pokemon down to the Center; I practically saw Sunny wet herself when Dawn went down.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Everyone was now outside the Pokemon center. All of the Pokemon congregated around the soon to be departing trainers. Sarah moved to Seth. She took a deep breath and gave him a large hug saying, "Be safe, and don't do anything too stupid okay?"

"I'll be fine, Sarah," Seth replied, returning the hug. The two soon released and Sarah moved on to Daron.

"I want you to be okay, call me if you ever need to talk, or you just want to hear your sister's voice." Sarah wrapped her arms around Daron and pulled him tight. Daron remained silent as he too brought Sarah into the embrace. He smiled gently and then let go of Sarah, although she didn't. Except for the times that Daron left, the two had never been apart for what could be up to eight months. Sarah stepped back and Jeffrey moved forward.

"I want to thank you two for letting me stay here, especially after I tried to kill you, Seth," he said, taking each brother's hand and also shaking Grace's.

"It's no problem," Seth responded happily.

As the two continued talking, Daron walked over to a very fidgety Umbra. She was playing with her claws and glancing around nervously, as if scared that something might happen to her. Daron knelt down, Abbey right beside him, and he took off one of his backpacks. "Umbra," Daron stated, grabbing her attention from whatever was causing her nervousness. "I believe that you have forgotten something." With that, Daron reached in and pulled out a small stuffed Teddiursa. Umbra's eyes widened and she grasped it greedily. Daron smiled and pulled Umbra into a one armed hug, earning an unnoticed glare from Abbey. When they separated, Daron said, "I know that you want to leave it behind because you think it'll make you stronger, but it's okay, you can be strong with a Teddiursa." Umbra smiled gratefully. She had left the toy behind as she was getting to an age where one must let such things go, but she didn't want to, not just yet, not just ever.

On the other end of the pavilion, Dawn, Dusk, and Sunny were talking with each other, but, unbeknownst to them, Grace was silently listening, only pretending to listen to Seth and Jeffrey's conversation.

"Do you have to go?" Dawn asked pleadingly. She looked at Dusk with large eyes and he stared firmly back into them.

"Daron wouldn't make it five feet without me, you know that," Dusk responded, putting his paw on Sunny's tail as she tried to dash after a Butterfree. "I know that you want me to spend time with Sunny, but I want to travel with Daron."

"Dusk, please, if not for me, then for Sunny. She's known you for what, a month?"

Dusk trotted over to Dawn and kissed the top of her head tenderly. "Look, I'll get Daron to call whenever we get the chance, and I'll talk to you whenever I can. I'll try to convince Daron to send me here from time to time, just so I can see you and Sunny! I don't want to leave you guys, but maybe, when Sunny's old enough, we can get Daron to take me, you, and Sunny all out and around, just travelling."

Dawn cuddled up to Dusk and cradled her head in the crook of his neck. "If you really want to do this, then go ahead, just make sure to come back whenever you can and I'll get Sarah to put me one when Daron calls, okay?" Dawn quickly called Sunny over to her and her mate.

Sunny bounded over to the duo and skidded to a stop, panting excitedly. "Yea? Yea? Yea? What do you want?" she asked quickly, hopping around giddily.

Using Psychic to keep Sunny still, Dawn said, "Daddy is going to be going away for a while, okay?"

"WHAT?" screamed Sunny, the scream attracted everyone's attention, but Dusk waved the off with a paw in the air. "Daddy, why are you leaving? Did I do something bad? Did I? Did I?"

Dusk breathed in heavily, "No, you didn't do anything, but I'm going to travel with Daron. I'm going to see the world and a lot of people in it, and I'll make sure that I talk to you when Daron calls, and I'll tell you a whole bunch of stories about what I see and hear, okay?"

Sunny sniffed slightly and whimpered, "Who will I play with when Mommy is fighting?"

Dusk groaned, "You girls are making this so difficult for me. I really don't want to leave you, but I've always just wanted to travel and this is the perfect opportunity. Hey, why don't you play with Lyra and Kira, they are very nice."

Sunny's face perked up considerably. "Yes! Yesyesyesyes! I'm gonna play grab the big claw with Kira again, that was a fun game!"

Dawn and Dusk laughed and then pulled Sunny close to them and Dusk said, "I'll see you whenever I can, so be strong until then." Dawn licked his cheek delicately and the proud father licked the top of Sunny's head lovingly.

Grace had listened the whole time. She looked around. She noticed that the only person that she cared about as much as the Eeveelutions was Seth. She longed for the day, if there ever was to be, when she could wrap her arms around a small child and say that she loved him and be there for him no matter what. Grace took a ragged breath, but looked at Seth and she instantly felt better. 'I made him my mate, I knew the choice, I'm happy with it."

Soon, however, it was time for Seth, Grace, Daron and Abbey to begin trekking. They arrived at the edge of the city, looked back to see everyone waving at them, and began to head out. All of the Pokemon had been returned to their balls, all of the bags had been packed, and Seth's badge was in his case. Waving one last time, Seth and Grace turned to the gate…and let go of each other's hands.

**A/N: After two quick updates, I had a small amount of writer's block, so this chapter may not be up to par with others. This chapter was mostly a transition and gym battle, so nothing too dark. Quick preview into future chapters: Stuff happens. I won't reveal too much what will happen, but in the near future, a friendly man, Thantos I think his name was, will be coming back…**


	19. Dead Memories

"Text"- Normal Speech

"_Text_"- Dreams/Flashbacks

"**Text**"-Telepathy

[Text]-Translated Speech

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. OKAY NOW ON WITH THE FIC!**

Seth slowly opened his eyes as sunlight filtered through the thin walls of the tent. The group had spent their first day traveling simply getting used to the feeling of walking for hours on end, with only a vague idea of where they were going. Seth was planning on challenging the Incendio, water gym. It was only ranked number 2, so, if he used Shock or Fiore, he could probably beat the leader with no problem. Seth sat up in his dark green sleeping bag; he stretched his arms to the sky and then twisted his torso, cracking his back a few times. Despite being a rather comfortable, and a little expensive, sleeping bag, it was no replacement for Seth's bed. He looked over at the sleeping form of Grace. He lay back down and watched as Grace slept, just enjoying the treasure that was his mate. No matter how uncomfortable anything ever was, Seth knew that if he just looked at Grace, everything would be alright.

Grace was on her side, facing Seth, so he gently grabbed her hand and moved his thumb and circles over the soft fabric of her gloved dress. Grace smiled and then her eyes fluttered open, the first thing that they saw was Seth. She sleepily put her forehead against Seth's and closed her eyes once more. She felt Seth's lips grace her cheek and her smile widened. "I love you," Grace whispered.

"And I, you," Seth responded suavely, causing Grace to giggle a bit. The two simply stayed silent for a while, listening to the rustle of the leaves on trees as the wind blew through them. Chirping bird Pokemon and singing bugs echoed throughout the forest. Seth looked up at the top of the tent and saw that the trees looming overhead formed a sort of shadow on the top. They danced and swayed with the air, and Seth and Grace watched them for a bit. Some moved slowly at first, but a gust of wind would blow and the shadows would cling tightly to the roof of the tent.

As Seth and Grace were enjoying the serene, natural, setting of the forest, Daron was still sleeping. Out of habit, Daron was sleeping in just his jeans once again and somehow, he'd twisted during the night so that he was now on top of the sleeping bag with one leg completely off of it. His hair had grown very long in the past few months. Where it had once been short and stagnant, it was now longer than Seth's and hung close to his shoulders, although, he usually kept it in a neat ponytail. Now, however, it was spread all over his head and the floor of his tent. One arm was over his head and the other was bent at a slightly awkward angle. He was snoring quietly and contently.

Outside of the tents, most of the Pokemon were sleeping. Ignis was nestled in the crook of a tree branch, his arms were behind his head and he was in deep thought. Shock leaned up against the back of the same tree, his arms folded and also in deep thought. Fiore and Lacy were sleeping next to each other, cradled by colorful, yet frost covered flowers. Mia was in her ball as there was no fresh water nearby for her to comfortably sleep in. Lars was also in a tree, but he was awake and looking around for any sign of danger, or any tricks to come from Umbra. Umbra slept on a special mattress designed for keeping most Ice types cool during the hot summer. Although it was January and a chill hung in the air, the mattress was easy to put away and it was comfortable. Abbey was awake in the middle of the clearing, eyeing Umbra carefully. She didn't know why, but she didn't trust the Sneasel, and she didn't want to sleep next to Daron as Umbra was already a little jealous. Dusk was pacing around nervously, occasionally glancing back in the direction that the group had come from Creativita.

All was still in the clearing for a short while. Finally, however, Seth decided that the group had best get up and he kissed Grace softly before saying, "Get the rest of the Pokemon up, I'll get Daron up."

Grace smiled, kissed Seth on the nose, giggled, and then said, "Don't be too mean to him this time, dear." She said this knowing Seth's tendency to like to wake up Daron in the most obnoxious ways possible, not that it was possible to it any other way.

Seth groaned and then pulled himself and Grace up onto their feet. The two shivered as the cold air hit their bodies. Grace wasn't wearing her sweater and Seth was just wearing his t-shirt and boxers. Grace teleported her sweater onto her body, and Seth grabbed his pants and leather jacket from the tent floor and put them on. Now that the cold issue was settled, Seth rolled his extra large bag up into a tight roll and stuffed it into his bag. He grabbed his bag, put it on his back, grabbed his guitar, and also put it on his back, and then he and Grace then exited the tent and Grace used her abilities to quickly fold it up into no more than a thin circle. She placed it in Seth's bag, rubbed his shoulder for a little and then went to wake up Fiore and Lacy.

She knelt down near the two young friends and nudged them like a mother waking a child. The Froslass and Roserade's eyes shot open in surprise, but then relaxed when they saw that it was just Grace. "Hey, girls," Grace said quietly. "We're going to be going in a little, so take a little to wake up." Fiore yawned and Lacy floated into an upright position, moving her hand over her face in the trademark gesture. Fiore got up and shivered, so Lacy floated to her ball and recalled Fiore into it, she did the same with her own. Grace walked over to Ignis and Shock, who both opened their eyes at the same time and nodded at Grace. She gave a small salute and walked over to Umbra. As she walked, she saw Seth say something to Abbey, and then walk into Daron's tent. She watched Lars jump from his tree and then shook Umbra awake. She was clutching her Teddiursa tightly.

Grace stood up and then heard what sounded like a giant horn and, "You son of a bitch!" Grace turned to see Seth sprinting out of Daron's tent and then Daron scrambling out of it. His hair hung low in his eyes, so he pushed it back onto his head. "What the hell?" Daron shouted, but Seth was on the other end of the clearing, so Daron just waved a hand and then crawled back into his tent to pack up.

Grace teleported to Seth and asked, "What did you do?"

Seth laughed and said, "I told Abbey to jump on him and I blew a blow horn in his ear."

Grace groaned, but hugged Seth anyway. "You're so mean," she said playfully, and Seth wrapped an arm around her, still laughing.

Daron, on the other hand, was not laughing. Abbey was sitting in the corner of his tent and she had a smug expression on her face. "Yea, yea, it was so fucking funny, huh?" Abbey nodded excitedly and then lay down on her back so that her face was under Daron's. She stuck her tongue out and panted expectedly. "No, not after what you just did." Abbey gave him a doubtful stare and continued panting cutely. Daron walked around, picking up his shirt, overcoat, and boots. He put them on slowly as Abbey looked on with huge puppy-dog eyes. He leaned down carefully and picked up some sketches of trees and such. He shoved everything in his pack and then went over to Abbey. Finally, he caved. He placed a hand on her stomach and began to rub. He rubbed smoothly at first, but then began to ruffle her fur messily and Abbey yipped happily. Unknowingly to him, Daron was getting closer and closer to Abbey's nether regions. He soon realized his mistake when he felt a warm wetness touch his finger. He snapped back his hand quickly and he glanced to the side, a red hot blush forming on his face.

Abbey had been enjoying the belly rub, but she then felt a surge of pleasure that she didn't expect, but it wasn't exactly unwanted. She felt her face become red under her short black fur. She got up on all fours, without looking at Daron, and then walked, awkwardly out of the tent. Daron looked at his hand and felt dirty and ashamed. He hadn't meant to touch her like that, but there was something there. It felt…so…natural. It felt like there was nothing holding him back from touching her in such a…suggestive manner. He sniffed his fingers and smelled Abbey, a pleasant smell. It smelled like dewdrops in the under the cover of midnight. He then put his hand in his coat pocket and said, "No, that's wrong, I should never do that to her, no!" Daron picked up the rest of his stuff and exited the tent, recalled everyone except for Abbey, and then put his tent away.

Seth had already recalled everyone except for Grace, of course, and was standing by the path to head towards Incendio. Seth smiled devilishly, but Daron didn't respond. He merely began putting his hair in a ponytail and began to walk. Abbey was on the other side of Seth and Grace, occasionally glancing at Daron, but then looking back at the ground.

Seth and Grace also began walking and Seth sent to Grace, telepathically, **"What do you think is wrong with them?"**

"**I'm not sure, but they both are very confused right now," **Grace responded, a look of curiosity crossing her face.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Several hours had passed and the early afternoon sun was upon the group. Daron and Abbey were still on opposite sides, not wanting to look at each other, much less be close, but, at the same time, there was a desire to be that close once more. Incendio was only about thirty more minutes until they reached Incendio, so they had forgone eating lunch. However, the meal skip was taking its toll on Daron.

"Seth, what do you want to eat when we get to Incendio?" he asked, holding his stomach as it growled loudly.

"I have no idea," Seth responded. "Whatever we get, it's going to be spicy, so I guess we're having spicy food."

Suddenly, Daron stopped. "Seth, two things. One, spicy things, that really doesn't narrow it down, and two, there was a turn back there, were we supposed to go down that way?"

Seth turned and scratched his head, Abbey and Grace looked confused as well. Out of nowhere, a voice came and said, "Well this group is quite refreshing. That's always a welcome change on the road." The group turned to see an average sized man with a Zoroark, Haxorus, and Charizard walking towards them. The man stopped a few feet from Seth and Grace; his Pokemon hung back slightly. He wore a red and gray turtleneck and had a black trench coat littered with pockets of a variety of sizes. He wore a normal pair of blue jeans and brown loafers. His hair was almost black with a soul patch directly under his lip. "My name is Raymon, and you guys seem a little lost."

"I'm Seth, this is Daron, my brother, Grace, my best friend, and Abbey…er…Daron's friend. And yes, we are a little lost, do you have directions?" Seth responded, gesturing to each member as he listed them.

"You're on the right path to Incendio, if that's what you're looking for. And that sweater looks mighty expensive; lucky you Miss Grace." Raymon gave a wink at Seth, who just shrugged.

"Raymon," Daron asked. "Are you a trainer?"

"Nice to see someone who doesn't recognize me from false tabloid scandals. Yes, I am."

"I have no idea who you are, I just saw the Pokemon behind you, and would you like to battle?" Daron asked. He wasn't really into battling, but his Pokemon were trained and he was a little eager to be able to have an excuse to speak to Abbey after what had happened that morning.

"Yeah, the team's getting' a little flabby. We could use a workout."

"Shut up!" cried the Zoroark from behind Ray. Seth wasn't fazed by the talking Pokemon as he was accustomed to it, and Daron, after all that had happened to Seth, wasn't too surprised about it either.

"Make me!" Raymon shouted back.

"Seth will you referee, somewhat?" Daron inquired, anxious to change the topic before the two started fighting.

"Alright," Seth responded. He and Grace walked to the edge of the wide dirt road and Raymon and Daron took positions opposite each other. About 15 feet was in between them, just enough for a decent battle.

Seth motioned to Daron and he pulled out a Luxury Ball. "Lars, let's see what you've got." Daron shouted, releasing the Wicked Pokemon and the catching the ball on its return.

"Yo! Cleave, get over here, you take this one!" Raymon called.

The Haxorus named Cleave hefted himself up and said, "Right boss…" He lumbered over and stood opposite of the confident Shiftry.

Without hesitation, Daron commanded, "Lars, use Sunny Day!" Lars waved his leafed hands and the sun suddenly got incredibly bright and warm. Lars took a deep breath and felt a rush of energy flow through him, his Chlorophyll ability was activating.

"Bulldoze!" Raymon shouted. The Haxorus reared his head, roared and then launched at Lars. He sprinted towards Lars with his head lowered. However, Lars knew exactly what to do. He used his added speed and jumped upwards, disappeared for a second before coming up behind the confused Haxorus. He slammed into Cleave's back and sent him forward a bit. "Dragon Claw, Cleave," Ray called and Cleave swung around, grazing Lars' chest.

"Take to the trees, Lars." The Shiftry responded by leaping up and beginning to hop from tree to tree.

"Dragon Pulse, rapid fire, let's go!" Cleave opened his mouth, a sapphire blue orb filling it. He then launched it at Lars, who managed to continually dodge as more and more orbs were sent flying at him, causing small explosions whenever they hit one of the rock solid trees.

Getting bored of this game, Daron said, "Use Faint Attack." Once again, Lars seemed to disappear and then reappeared behind Cleave, ready to strike.

However, Raymon was ready this time. "Turn and use Outrage!" The Haxorus whirled around and his mouth was coated in a dragon fire. He spewed the red hot energy out of his mouth and Lars cried out as it hit him, hard.

Daron cursed as the sun died down slowly, becoming darker and darker until it was back to normal. "Giga Impact!" Daron called out to Lars. Lars tried to move as quickly as he once had, but the energy was gone and apparently Cleave new just what to do. The dragon moved in front of the still powerful attack as Lars hit himself into Cleave's chest. Cleave grunted, but simply pushed the exhausted Grass Pokemon and then his claws glowed a dull green. He took his arms up and then brought them down in an "X" pattern. "X-Scissor…" Daron whispered to himself, knowing what the outcome was. Lars was now facing down on the ground, groaning loudly in pain. "Lars, come back."

"Don't take this the wrong way kid, but you don't look like the bright and shiny type of guy, so try not to rely on the sun so much," Raymon critiqued smugly.

"Fuck off! C'mon out Umbra!" Daron responded. Daron threw the ball and Umbra appeared, still holding her Teddiursa. She saw Cleave in front of her and handed Daron her bears, and then walked back to the field and held her claws out menacingly.

"Good luck, Daron" Abbey whispered, although Daron couldn't understand her.

"Dragon Claw, Cleave!" Raymon shouted and Cleave lunged forward, claws glowing a brilliant blue.

"Ice Punch," Daron responded eagerly and Umbra threw herself at the Dragon. Although Cleave was powerful, he was tired and Umbra was stronger than she looked, the result of several years of verbal abuse by Daron, which he regretted greatly. Umbra managed to break through the Dragon Claw and her ice-coated fist made contact with the dragon's leather skin and he felt as if his entire body froze. Cleave fell to the ground, unconscious and shivering. Daron smiled at Umbra and she smiled back.

"I told you those chalupas'd catch up with you…" Raymon commented.

Cleave hefted himself up and said, "Yo damn fault for buyin' 'em"

Raymon smirked and held out his ball. "Return." Raymon turned around and shouted, "Zanx…ZANX!"

"WHAT!" he shouted back.

"You're up…"

Zanx grunted and stood ready. Seth nodded to both trainers and almost instantly the look on the Zoroark's face became one of a devil. Daron knew exactly what he was doing and commanded, "Use Taunt, Umbra!" Umbra pulled one of her eyelids down and stuck her tongue out at Zanx, putting a little bit of her dark power into the move to add to its effectiveness. Zanx growled low in his throat and suddenly lost the ability to use his Nasty Plot. "Swords Dance, Umbra," Daron shouted, laughing a little at the irony of the situation.

Raymon suddenly got a cocky grin on his face as Umbra suddenly seemed more powerful. "Foul Play." Zanx ran towards Umbra and slammed into her, hitting all of the points that one usually wouldn't touch, and the special power of the move just added to the damage as Umbra was powered up with Swords Dance. "Use Flamethrower, Zanx!" Raymon shouted. Zanx opened his mouth and launched a stream of fire at Umbra.

"Dodge it and then counter with Brick Break!" Daron said, and Umbra responded. She deftly leapt over the molten fire and then came down from the air with a hard kick, striking Zanx right on the snout.

Zanx cried out in pain as he flew through the air and hit a tree hard. Raymon grimaced, but countered, "Focus Blast, right now!" Zanx smiled and then charged up the white beam and launched it at Umbra.

Daron frowned as Umbra, who was just recovering from the Brick Break, was hit by the full force of the blast. Umbra was sent rolling on the ground and skidded to a stop on the ground. "Get up, Umbra," Daron murmured, true concern in his eyes. Umbra, trying to hold back tears, forced her body up, summoning all of her will in order to fight for Daron. "Well done, I want you to use Agility and then strike him with Ice Punch!"

Umbra smiled and then sped off, her already high speed becoming even faster as the Agility took effect. Her fist was coated in ice and then she threw it at Zanx, but he was ready. He had already fired off a Flamethrower and it connected with Umbra's chest right as she hit his chest and the two were sent in opposite directions. Both of the trainers recalled their now unconscious Pokemon. Daron smiled slightly, "I guess that leaves us with one each huh?"

"If you want to call it that."

Daron looked awkwardly at Abbey which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. He knelt down in front of her and whispered quietly, "I'm sorry about what happened this morning, but let's put it behind us, and I know that you can win this battle, okay?"

Abbey nodded solemnly and gave Daron small lick on the side of the face along with a smile. She then stepped out onto the battle, slightly nervous as she had been in very few true battles before. Raymon raised an eyebrow and said, "Unusual, did she lose her scythe in an accident? That must have a big impact seeing as Absol are known for their variants of slash."

"I don't give a damn, let's get started."

"And I thought I was blunt. Hey, Ol' Man, show 'em how it's done." The clearly elderly Charizard slowly brought himself up and walked to the middle of the field, directly in front of Abbey, and made a low growl noise in his throat. Seth nodded at the two and Raymon started off, "Use Air Slash, now!"

"Sucker Punch," Daron countered almost habitually. Abbey sprang off of her hind legs and pushed her clawed paw into the Charizard, who had just raised his wing in order to perform the move. Gramps was sent flying backwards, but instantly swirled in midair and landed gracefully on the ground. "Now use Night Slash."

Abbey's claws became a mass of a dark substance, but the old Charizard knew what to do. His claws became surrounded in more a shadow rather than darkness and he responded by swinging his own Shadow Claw to hit Abbey's, neutralizing the two moves. "Fly into the sky and then hit that white ball of fluff, go!" Gramps pulled his wings out and then, with surprising speed, launched himself in the air.

Abbey looked to the sky, but the cold sun was blinding her. A silhouette suddenly appeared and Abbey was swept off of her feet, literally, and she was sent flying into a tree, rather painfully. "C'mon, girl, try for a Swords Dance, I have a plan!" Abbey began to leap around in a bizarre fashion that would be considered very strange in any other situation.

"Quickly use Flamethrower!" Raymon shouted, and Gramps instantly opened his mouth, releasing the molten fire. Abbey yelped loudly as the fire seemed to engulf her. She wondered what the hell Daron had planned.

As the fire died down, Abbey's white fur was turned black in some places, but she was still standing. "Payback," Daron said menacingly. Abbey smiled wickedly and then head butted Gramps directly in his chest, channeling her Dark-Type energy to power up her move incredibly.

Raymon shouted as his prized Pokemon was hurled onto the ground by the much smaller Pokemon. "Get up, you lazy Charizard!" Raymon shouted, somewhat jokingly as he began to see the end of the battle drawing near.

"Rock Slide, Abbey!" Daron countered, knowing equally well who'd won. Abbey yipped as she raked her claws along the ground, sending rocks flying up in the air and then they flew back down and slammed into Gramps, knocking him out.

Raymon smirked as he pulled out Gramp's ball. "Age is catchin' up with ya bud. You beat an Entei last month; maybe it's your diet."

Abbey smiled happily and then she turned, ran, and then jumped up into Daron's unexpected arms. Daron caught her, a little surprised, although happy because he felt no awkwardness between the two. He rubbed Abbey's back, albeit very carefully, and then looked at Raymon. "Thanks for the battle, but how far is Incendio? I really want to get these guys healed up."

Suddenly, a flash lit up the area and Raymon groaned as a Porygon-Z popped out of its ball. "IN 36 METERS, TAKE A DIRECT LEFT ON ROUTE 43 AND *&^^^ 776 FEED A CRAWDAUNT ^* HOMELESS CATFI-I-ISSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHH" The rest of the Pokemon's speech was muffled by static.

Seth, Grace, Abbey, and Daron all looked at Raymon like he was crazy. He pulled out the Porygon's ball and recalled it. "A word of advice, never use unofficial shared files on a pirate bay on a Porygon-2… Anyway, it's 5 minutes by air, and 10 by Niki's Express. Seeing as my only means of transportation is currently in his ball for the first time in months, it seems that we're taking the latter." The group then began to walk forwards.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

After about fifteen minutes of walking, the posse had made it to the Incendio Pokemon Center. Inside, most trainers and Pokemon were being treated from burns and other such injuries. The group was in a hallway, waiting for Daron and Raymon's Pokemon to be healed. Seth was seated on a couch with Grace next to him; his arm was draped across the back of the couch just so he could at least seem that he had his arm around Grace. Grace was as close to Seth as she dared get, as she was quite nervous about being caught. Daron had his back against a wall and one booted foot was against it as well. Abbey was dozing at his feet. Raymon was anxiously tapping his foot outside the door, above which, a red light was on.

Deciding to break the silence, Seth stated, "That was a really fun battle you guys."

"Shut up, bro, you just watched with your little gir-erm…Gardevoir right there." Daron replied snappily. Grace blushed and moved her hand up to her face nervously, but Raymon didn't notice, or so she thought.

Raymon chuckled a little and said, "Sibling rivalry…reminds me of when Zanx…"

"YOU TELL 'EM THAT AND I'LL RIP YA DAMN THROAT OUT!" Zanx's voice echoed through the hall as he, Gramps, Cleave, Lars, and Umbra walked out of the nurse's office.

"Please," commanded Nurse Joy softly, but with authority, oblivious to the fact that it was a Zoroark that had spoken. "You'll startle the sleeping Pokemon!"

Raymon quickly apologized and then recalled all of his Pokemon except for Gramps, who huffed and followed Daron, who'd recalled all but Abbey, and Seth out of the front door and into the steaming streets of Incendio. The city was hot as always, and the smell of spices hung heavy in the air so that it burned Abbey's sensitive nose. She whimpered, so everyone quickly walked over to the five-star hotel that everyone, but Raymon, was staying at that night.

Inside the lobby, Raymon turned and said, "Well, I guess that I'd better be going." A light then flashed behind him and he murmured, "Not, again…"

"zzzZZZzzZzzZzZ ECONOMICALLY CONSERVATIVE AND SOCIALLY LIBERAL TREEKOS ZZzzZzZZzzZZz" The Porygon, who Raymon had named Poly, was once again spouting random gibberish.

"Back in your ball you go, Poly." Raymon recited almost as a hymn. Turning back to the grinning brothers, Raymon tried his goodbye again, "Well, it was nice meeting you all. After this encounter, I think it's safe to say that a full team is in order; maybe a psychic type of something. Well, avidazen, and, you take good care of that expensive sweater Ms. Grace, my empathic senses tell me that it means more to you than you let on…" Grace blushed slightly and buried her face in Seth's shoulder shyly. Raymon winked, knowingly, at Seth and then he left with a wave of the hand.

"There goes one of the strangest teams ever created," Grace commented and Seth merely nodded. Daron just looked on, confused.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron was now sitting, cross-legged on his hotel bed. Despite him and his brother both being in some of the top suites, the rooms still looked the same, although Daron was pleasantly surprised to see that the quality of the artwork was very good and not some cheap crap you pick up at a professional art store. All of that were just basic paints on paper, there was no emotion involved, no feeling, and heart, and it was just for money.

The in-house computer was hooked up and ready to go as Daron had promised Dusk, who was pacing the room nervously, that he would make sure that when Sarah was done with training her gym trainees for the evening, Dusk would speak with Dawn and Sunny. Abbey was looking over Daron's shoulder as she watched him masterfully move his pencil, creating an outline. The picture was of Lars, sitting in a tree, watching out over a blank horizon line. He moved quickly and efficiently, making certain points darker where shadows would lie. Abbey's eyes widened as she watched shapes of all sorts become realistic such as the fur on Lars' back, each individual leaf that looked as if it would fly off of the page, and Daron's tent, with Daron's foot hanging out of it lazily.

Daron was brought up from his work as a small dinging sound indicated that someone was contacting him. He unfolded his legs and stood up on the bed, walked across it, and then nudged Dusk lightly. He got the message and hopped up on the desk that the computer was sitting on as Daron sat in the chair and opened a window to see Sarah's mouth wide open in a yawn. It was only 9:00 in the evening, but it probably had been a long day for Sarah. "Hey, Sarah," Daron started.

"Hi," was all Sarah said and she stretched as Daron smirked.

"Is that all?"

"Yep," Sarah replied and then Daron watched as Gus went by, a waxing machine going across the floor. Sunny was riding on top of it, laughing happily as Gus smiled with her.

"I think Sunny found a new toy," Daron commented. Sarah smiled, but as she was about to say something, Dawn's face appeared on the screen and she used Psychic to push Sarah out of the way. Daron looked at Dusk and held up his hands. He removed himself from the chair and went back to hit sketch.

Dusk looked at Dawn over the screen and smiled, "Hello, dear, how have things been?" He blushed lightly under his fur. He had been feeling a bit of guilt ever since leaving his family behind just so he could fulfill his dream of travelling.

"It's only been two days, and everything is fine, Sunny is happy and healthy, and so am I. How is travelling, everything you hoped for?" Dawn replied with a small smile.

Dusk opened his mouth, but he heard Sarah shout something in the background. "Gus! Do not teach her that!"

Dusk's eyes widened as he watched his daughter come skidding across the gym floor on her rear end screaming, "Weeeeee!" She bumped into the wall on the other side and Dawn turned while Dusk held his breath. "Again! Again!" Sunny cried as she hopped up from the floor. She began to run a little, and then she jumped up and landed on the newly waxed gym floor, causing her to slide out of Dusk's view. "Weeeeee!" she laughed once again, and then Dusk saw Gus skid across the gym floor. His shoes were off, revealing gray socks, and he was skating along with Sunny.

"Oh my Arceus, Gus, you're a fifty something year old man!" Sarah chastised, although she was amused nonetheless.

Dawn and Dusk smiled. Turning back to face her mate, Dawn stated, "It seems that our daughter is making more friends."

Suddenly, Sunny's small voice chirped up. "Oh my gosh, MOMMY, MY BUTT IS ALL SHINY!"

Dusk hung his head, trying to suppress a laugh, but Dawn just flat out laughed. "I think I know who she got that from," Dusk stated as he remembered that he had been a silly pup as well. Dawn and Dusk continued to watch the middle-aged man and their daughter for a while, but eventually got tired and decided to say goodnight.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Back in his own room, Seth was playing his guitar lightly. He strummed a few notes here and there, and then began to play a soft melody, not singing, but just playing. Fiore and Lacy were seated on the soft, light brown carpeting, listening to Seth's enchanting music. Ignis was already asleep in a hammock that he'd made by hanging a few extra sheets from hooks on the walls. Mia was in the hotel's Pokemon only pool. Shock was leaning back up against a wall, arms crossed, and tapping his foot lightly in time with Seth's playing.

Grace was in the shower, thinking about the place that she was in now. Hot water ran over her nude body and she sighed quietly, feeling two days worth of dirt and grime come off of her body. The water soothed any aching muscles. As a Gardevoir, she was not used to walking normally, her kind mostly floated, but after Lyra told her that it was a good idea to strengthen her physical body, she decided that the least she could do was walk alongside Seth. She gathered some soap in her hands and began to lather it over her body, being careful around certain areas of her body. She had long ago found out how to satisfy the cravings of her heat without the medicine, but it felt…wrong…dirty to do such things to herself.

She let the water just run over her body as she remembered the first day that she came to Incendio, when she was a small Kirlia.

-Grace's POV-

_I was lost, stranded in a cage that had much more meaning that just to keep me confined. The collar he put on me, it held me to him, saying that I was his and his alone. The cage showed me where I truly belonged, what I really was…a mindless, ugly…toy. Those thoughts constantly crossed my mind, but I knew that I had to keep battling them off, to be strong, just like my mother and father._

_Suddenly, my thoughts were jumbled in my head as the old, rusty car came to a screeching halt, throwing myself and the cage that I was in across the back seat and onto the floor. The cold steel seemed to burn against my skin and then I felt another jerk as Thantos yanked my cage up off of the floor and pulled it out of the car. He held up the cage to his face, and I remember seeing the maliciousness in his eyes, his anger, but there was also something else there, a loneliness, a desperateness._

_His smiled scared me, as I knew that smile. It wasn't one of joy, but one of anticipation. "Are you ready for fun, my little slut?" I hated that he called me that. The more he said it, the more I felt that I truly was one. I was just a little whore who had to accept her life now. It was dark outside, so no one noticed the man with a cage walk around what looked to be a rundown building. He knocked on the back door and it opened. I was taken inside, but I still couldn't see anything as a tarp had been placed over my cage. I knew we were walking as he seemed to make a point of jostling the cage as much as he possibly could. I wanted to scream for help, but it would do no good. I felt emotions of all sorts. I felt lust, hatred, apathy, and evil, just pure evil as Thantos walked through what I assumed to be the building. I heard assorted people talking. Men, women, Pokemon, and even a child here and there, they were all talking, some were crying, some were laughing._

_Suddenly, all of it stopped, I heard a door open, and then I was thrown onto something…soft? The tarp was removed from my cage and I looked around in the dim light. I was in what looked like a hotel room, but it was quite ugly. A single bed was in the room. Its sheets were stained with so many things that I probably didn't want to even think about it. The green paint was peeling off of the walls, and a heavy smell of natural lubricant was in the air._

_Thantos opened the top of my cage and I felt my collar being pulled up with me along with it. I screamed as I knew exactly what was about to happen when I saw that Thantos had no pants on. His manhood was erect and ready, and my body was beginning to naturally secrete my own juices. I blushed and cried as I felt myself become more aroused by this hideous thing of a man. Thantos laughed manically and whispered in my ear, "I see you're already so wet and ready, aren't you just a good little slut, getting all ready for your master._

"_Stop it! Don't call me that! It's not true!" I screamed, pleading with Arceus to just take me then and there. I knew that he couldn't understand me, and only heard me repeating my name, but I knew that he wouldn't care even if he could._

_He placed me on my back on the bed and spread my legs. I didn't offer any resistance, knowing that it would just bring pain. "I don't care how little you resist," Thantos said, and then he hissed directly over my face, "I know that you're a masochist!" I screamed as he brought his fist up and slammed it on my small stomach. He then slapped my face so hard to turn my face red in the shape of his hand. Tears were streaming down my face, as was the custom and Thantos then grabbed my hair and pulled it, hard. I didn't cry out despite how much pain I was in, but he brought his hand up once more and slammed it down on my full stomach. As he pushed down painfully on my belly, I felt the shit that he had called food build up in the back of my throat. I gagged as I then threw up all over Thantos' hand that wasn't holding my hair. He recoiled and I blushed heavily. "You filthy bitch!" he shouted, "You're going to clean that up!" He then forced his hand in my mouth, stretching it to lengths that it shouldn't have gone to. My face was wracked with pain and a vile taste filled my mouth._

_After several minutes, his fist was finally clean, but I knew that I was far from done. He removed his hand and looked it over. I hated watching him, I felt so helpless, so weak, so worthless, just like he said I was. Finally, the part that I'd been dreading was upon me. He spread my legs as wide as they would go, revealing my glistening treasure to him. His eyes were hungry, but right before he began to thrust the first agonizing blow, I felt the smallest trace of guilt. All of those thoughts though were forced out of my head as I felt him enter me, and I just screamed as words echoed through my mind._

_Whore_

_Bitch_

_Toy_

_Slut_

_Masochist_

-Normal POV-

Grace screamed at the top of her lungs, and clenched her head in agony as the memories resurfaced, one by one. She heard a door open, much like the one in her memory, but instead she heard a voice that she would always be happy to hear. "Grace! What's the matter?" Grace hesitantly stepped out of the shower and threw herself into Seth's awaiting arms.

Using his powers, Seth closed the door and wrapped his shaking mate in his arms. A quick look through her mind was all it took for Seth to understand why she screamed. He pulled her even closer to his body, not caring that his shirt and pants were getting soaked. Grace put out a few choked sobs and looked up at Seth with pleading eyes. "I don't want to be here."

Seth smiled slightly, kissed Grace on her lips gently and said, "Tomorrow, I'm going to show you the good things about this place, I promise. Grace smiled as best as she could, and Seth gave her a sideways grin. Seeing the grin always made Grace giggle, so she giggled, and then brought Seth into a passionate kiss.

After drying off, Grace and Seth finally made it to their bed. Shock, after making sure everyone was alright, slept comfortably on the floor, and Lacy and Fiore were next to each other on a small, but comfortable trolley bed, not minding in the least. Seth turned out the light using his powers, and crawled into bed. Grace's back was to him, but he knew what to do. He put his arm over her stomach and made slow circles on it, causing her to hum slightly. Grace felt Seth kiss her on her cheek once more before slipping into sleep. 'I'm sorry,' Grace thought to herself, 'I'm sorry for being so weak, Seth, I promise to get stronger!'

**A/N: I'm sorry this took a while to update, but work has been sheer hell, and I've had trouble finding inspiration. The characters Raymon, Cleave, Gramps, Zanx, and Poly, all belong to a friend of mine, Mr. Mookenstein. They are his characters and keep a look out for a story starring them in the future written by him. Anyway, a small preview into the next chapter. It's our good buddy THANTOS! Everyone cheer for the guy, because I know you all LOVE him so much.**


	20. Thantos Returns

"Text"- Normal Speech

"_Text_"- Dreams/Flashbacks

"**Text**"-Telepathy

[Text]-Translated Speech

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON. OKAY NOW ON WITH THE FIC!**

**I AM VERY SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT. I've had a bunch of shit going on…and my internet has been fucked up for the past few months. I apologize for all of those who have been getting impatient, but I think I've got everything sorted out, so I'll do my best to get things out sooner.**

A blur. That's what the man running through the forest saw. The trees no longer had shape, but were rather just color. Browns and greens mixed together into a muddled, almost camouflage color. The rocks and stones of the dirt path dug into the bare soles of the feet of the runner, causing small amounts of pain with each step. His black hair was tangled and dirty; blood ran off one of his arms, dripping onto the ground behind him, creating a trail in a way. His t-shirt was ripped so that the band on the front was no longer recognizable.

Out of nowhere, a particularly large rock, or perhaps through his own pace and clumsiness tripped the runner. Air flew past the person, but he did not scream or make any sound at all as he landed heavily on the ground, using his hands to catch himself. He heard a distinct cracking sound from his right wrist and ankle. Pain coursed its way up through his body, but it elicited no words. The figure was so used to pain being inflicted upon him, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his stomach. A being of goodness, implanted in every human, animal, and Pokemon, was replaying the mistakes of his life. Of which, there were many. He reached into his pocket with his good hand and pulled out three spherical objects. He placed them on the ground in front of him and pressed each of the buttons. Separate flashes illuminated the moonless night and three forms appeared. A once grinning face now looked on with worry, one of four arms reached out but quickly retracted, and a fin stood out against the black sky.

The man looked up at his Pokemon and begged, "Pray to Arceus that I die quickly, and if you ever see her again tell her…it was not you…it was me…she never has to fear again." The Pokemon, rather than listening to their master began to run in three directions searching for help. The man watched them go and then back up at the sky and whispered almost silently, "I don't want to live, I don't deserve it, I am a bad boy, I have done bad things, the blood I have spilt…may she find one who deserves her." With that, the man blew out a large breath which he could see due to the chill. Whereas one would see nothing but mist, this man saw a young Kirlia, tears staining its face and its cries echoed into his ears as he fell into unconsciousness.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth, Daron, and Grace were all seated at a table outside a local breakfast café in the city of Incendio. Abbey was seated next to Daron, on the ground as it was too difficult for her to sit on the seats with four legs tucked under her. The rest of the Pokemon were in their balls for they would have taken up too much space. The smell of chilies and spices clung to the air, creating a burning, yet pleasant aroma to carry itself from house to house. An occasional flame would pop up from an open kitchen window and a steady stream of delicious smelling smoke would escape from it. The place was fairly small, but cozy and even outside it was warm. The four person table had one empty seat and was made of plastic. In front of Seth and Daron were sausages and bacon, spiced just right and hot. Daron, who hadn't bothered to put his hair up in a ponytail, was constantly brushing it out of his face, much to the amusement of Grace who was giggling, having finished her spicy Pokemon food, courtesy of the café.

"MOVE!" Daron shouted to his hair, and then looked around to make sure no one was looking at him. He waved off one onlooker and then murmured to Seth, Grace, and Abbey, "Not one of you says a word."

"You're a motherfucking idiot," Grace stated out loud and Seth nearly choked on a bit of sausage that he was chewing. Grace's face grew a little red as she usually wasn't vulgar, but being around Ignis generally brought it out of her.

Daron looked at Grace menacingly. "What did she say?" he asked threateningly to Seth. Abbey was just shaking her head, and Seth buried his face in his arms laughing. "What?"

Finally composing himself, Seth said, "Nothing, just don't worry about it." Daron glared at him and then went back to devouring his bacon. **"You really should stop talking to Ignis, even I wouldn't have said it that bluntly," **Seth sent to Grace telepathically.

"**Well its true isn't it?" **Grace replied and Seth, once more, lost it.

Daron looked up with only his eyes and said, "I hate you all." Abbey rubbed her head against Daron's leg and he ruffled the fur on her head. She looked up at him with a soft smile. "Not you, cutie."

Abbey blushed under her black fur and thought, _"Cutie? He's never called me that before." _She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was slowly becoming attracted to Daron, more than friends at least. She knew that in her own species she'd never be taken as a mate, but maybe…Daron…Abbey looked down at her food, losing her appetite and then looked up at Grace. Grace noticed Abbey's almost pleading face and smiled calmly, giving a small nod to answer a question that was never asked.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace were now walking through the streets, heading towards the world famous Incendio hot springs. Daron had wandered off to sketch different cityscapes and Abbey had, of course, followed him, although Daron said that he would eventually join Seth. The chill that hung low in the air was slowly being pushed away as the awaiting hot springs grew closer.

Grace was humming along happily to no particular tune and there seemed to be almost a skip in her step, like a young girl about to go home from school. Seth watched as she lightly bobbed her head in time with her own melody; being around Seth had caused Grace to pick up somewhat of a musical aptitude. "You're in a good mood," Seth commented and Grace did a small twirl in place, her elegant dress never touching the ground as it swirled just slightly behind Grace's body. Her performance earned a small clap from a passerby and Grace blushed with embarrassment, putting her hands on Seth's shoulder and burying her face in it. Both the passerby and Seth laughed. After the man passed, Grace removed herself, albeit reluctantly, from Seth. "So what's with the giddy mood? Not that I'm complaining about seeing you happy." Seth questioned.

"I don't know, I just feel…happy…light almost. It's hard to describe, it feels like something great is going to happen today, but I can't quite see it," Grace explained, the skip returning to her step.

"Just don't go around cussing people out all day."Grace's face flushed once more and lightly slapped Seth's arm.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

After a few more minutes of walking, the duo arrived at the visitor's center for the springs. A light amount of steam pervaded throughout the area and Seth stepped up to a receptionist who looked to be in her low thirties. "Hello, welcome to the hot springs, how many will be enjoying the water?" she asked mechanically.

"Two." Seth responded quickly wondering if the woman would object to Grace, seeing as she was a Gardevoir.

"Alright, I assume the second is this Gardevoir here?" Seth nodded. "Okay, do you a bathing suit for her, or do you need a disposable one, or would you like to purchase one?"

"I'll just get a disposable one," Seth responded.

"Okay, I'll go get one for her." Turning slightly to face Grace, the receptionist said, "The female Pokemon locker room is down that hall, there should be another Gardevoir in there if you need help." Looking down the hallway, the woman called, "Ashley! We have another for ya!" A white hand appeared and gave the best thumbs up three fingers could muster.

The receptionist returned soon with a light blue, one piece, swimsuit; it was perfectly suited for the body of a Gardevoir, including a slit in the center on the front and back for the horn. "Do you need one as well, sir?" Seth shook his head. "Okay, your locker room is down the one opposite the girls, the door to your left, and there's no one there to help you."

Seth smirked and asked, "What do you charge?"

"We charge by hour, so when you leave be sure to pay."

Seth nodded and thanked the receptionist and then stepped aside, although it was early, so no other customers were there, at least not yet. Handing the one piece to Grace, he smiled as she looked at it confusedly. "I think that's why there is a helper for you in there."

Grace gave him a look that said 'you're probably right.' She then headed off in the opposite direction as Seth and down the hall she was told. She approached a door with a Pokeball on it and the symbol for female on it. Guessing this was the female Pokemon locker room, she slowly pushed open the door and inside was quite nice. There was a green and blue tile floor and the lockers were painted to compliment the floor nicely. There were two changing areas and a bathroom on one side and three other changing areas on the other. Right in the center one was a blue Gardevoir with golden eyes and horns. She was in a purple one piece, similar to the style Grace held in her hands.

"Hey there, name's Ashley," the blue Gardevoir, Ashley, greeted cheerfully with a smile. "Do you need any help with your suit?"

"Yea, you could say that," Grace responded, looking at the suit with confusion again.

"Most don't know how it works, that's why I'm here. There was a Lopunny in here the other day. She only had one leg, so it was a bit different than usual!"

"I'd imagine so," Grace replied as Ashley pointed to where each of her arms and legs went along with the head hole. Grace nodded that she understood and then took the suit back from Ashley and looked awkwardly at her.

"Oh yea, sorry 'bout that!" Ashley said sheepishly, putting her arm behind her head and then leaving the changing area to another while Grace undressed and then put her suit on. Grace folded her gloves, put them on her dress, folded it and then put her sweater on top of that. She placed all of it in a locker that Ashley directed her to and put a lock on it, spinning the dial with her powers. "You done in there?" Ashley called.

"Yep," Grace called back.

Ashley reappeared around the corner and checked Grace's straps and everything, and then nodded at Grace's success. "Good, you got it on right the first time," she laughed, earning a small smile from Grace. "Okay," Ashley stated, "Let's get you out of here, you're stuff will be fine, so you can get back to that very nice looking man you were with." Ashley winked as Grace blushed slightly.

Grace quickly exited the locker room and walked down the hallway awkwardly, feeling very exposed. She had dipped her feet in at the pool at her house, but never actually went swimming in it. She walked into the lobby and saw Seth talking to the receptionist, feeling very foolish about something. The rest of his Pokemon, save for Lacy and Mia were outside of their balls, relaxing on the benches. Fiore was absentmindedly swinging her legs back and forth, because of the nature of their bodies and body types, none of the other Pokemon were required to wear suits, although, Ignis was questionable.

Suddenly she heard a whistle and her whole face turned red as she stared at Ignis. "Lookin' sexy there, Grace!" Ignis whooped.

Grace was about to turn away but stopped as she saw Shock lift up his hand and punch Ignis off of the bench he was sitting on, causing him to fall on his face. Fiore doubled over with laughter and shouted, "The monkey fell over!"

Grace giggled and Shock spoke. "You look very lovely in that suit, Grace," he complimented with a small nod.

"Thank you, Shock, that's very sweet," Grace responded.

Suddenly a suit appeared on Ignis' head and he picked it up, got off the floor and looked at Seth, who was in a black and white floral pattern suit and no shirt, showing off his quite strong muscles. He wasn't particularly buff, but wasn't as lean as Daron was. "Put that on, you pervert."

Ignis grumbled and put it on, slipping the red fabric over his fur and it blended perfectly. Seth was giving Ignis a critical look and motioned for everyone to follow him, and headed out the back door. Steam hit the group instantly, a bit of a chill creeping in with it. Seth beckoned for Ignis and Grace. Shock took a place in one of the many mini hot springs scattered about and helped Fiore test the water, being careful not to immerse her too quickly, lest she might burn, but she was soon laughing and splashing Shock, who smiled and lightly splashed her back.

Ignis was now facing Seth, who had his arms crossed and Grace who had no clue what was going on. "Ignis." Seth stated firmly. "Listen to me carefully. You won't speak to Grace like that, ever again, do you understand? That was highly disrespectful, even for you. You will speak to her with respect, I don't care how much vulgarity you use, so long as you don't describe her with it."

Ignis rubbed the back of his head, ashamed. [I apologize, sincerely, Grace. I was just trying to have a bit of fun.] For the first time in his life, Ignis hadn't used any profanity in his sentence.

Seth's expression relaxed greatly, sensing Ignis' sincerity and said, "Alright, I'm getting cold, so let's get in the springs!"

[Fuck yea!] Ignis shouted, his voice back into its usual obnoxious sound.

Grace rolled her eyes as Ignis cannon-balled into a spring, and finally took the time to look around the springs themselves. They were quite a marvel. A large red rock face bordered three sides of the area, creating a natural fence that one would have to be quite the climber to overcome. There were about twenty-five pools in all, and they all radiated steam and warmth, making the air feel an odd mixture of hot and cold. The water was clear and Grace could see the bottom of most of them. The bottom was covered in smooth black stones. The sun shone beautifully from the sky, reflecting off the water, making them shimmer, and the blue sky gave the impression of a summer day rather than the middle of January.

Seth had released Mia into one of the pools and rubbed her shiny scales and soft extensions. He hadn't spent much time with Mia lately, so he promised himself to do so sometime. He knew she didn't mind though, she was fairly independent and quiet, but he still felt guilty.

Grace wrapped an arm around his carefully and nodded to one of the more secluded pools and Seth took the hint. He walked over and slowly stepped in, enjoying to heat of the pool along with the feel of the rocks on the bottom. "Oh, that feels nice," he said ecstatically.

He took Grace's hand and she carefully place one of her feet in. The water was hot, but not uncomfortable, and it was blissful compared to the odd air outside. She slowly sunk both legs into the water, which was barely up to her waist and then knelt down, mocking Seth's form. The water felt comfortable, like she was sitting in front of a fire with a big comfortable blanket. "You're right, this feels lovely."

Seth leaned back against one of the smooth black rock edges of the pool and Grace floated over to him. She leaned her back against his chest, doing her best to make her back spike touch him as little as possible, but Seth was used to the feeling by now. He wrapped his arms around Grace's midsection and rested his chin on the top of her head, gently rocking her back and forth. If someone else came in, Seth knew that they'd have to separate, so he took the opportunity while he had it. "I love you," Seth whispered quietly, knowing that there were people outside of the sanctuary of the hot springs.

"I love you, too." Grace responded, equally as quietly. The two stayed silent for a time before Grace finally broke the air. "I think I remember this place."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I remember feeling a great amount of heat while I was in my cage, but I think that man that held me in it was smuggling me in. I remember that I was set down and I heard a splash, but I was too worried about just being still for once and nursing my wounds from the previous night. Hours had passed before I finally felt myself lifted and then we left, but I think we were here. It's much nicer being here with you than him…" Grace sighed after her long explanation, closing her eyes and clearing her mind. She set her head back against Seth's shoulder and he kissed her cheek lovingly.

"Hey Grace," Seth said. Grace opened one of her eyes long enough to see a stream of water fall in her face. She shouted a little and pushed away from Seth, using her psychic powers to cause a huge wave of water crash into Seth's chest. Once she cleared her eyes, she saw Seth's sideways half grin shining on her.

"You don't get off the hook that easy, dear!" Suddenly Grace teleported away and Seth sat back, watching carefully for any floating water coming towards him.

Seth turned around to make sure she wasn't planning any surprise attack from behind, but he heard a familiar voice and murmured, "Oh shit."

[CANNONBALL MOTHERFUCKERS!] Seth turned just in time for Ignis to come crashing down, a wall of water forcing its way at Seth. The steaming hot water soaked Seth to the bone. He pushed his hair out of the way and looked at Grace who was standing on the edge of the pool, an innocent expression on her face. Before Seth could speak, however, Ignis burst from the surface of the water and shouted, [Best fucking cannonball of my fucking life! FUCK YEA!]

"You are so lucky that no one else can understand you," Seth laughed, putting his hand on his chin. A small splash caught Seth's attention and Grace appeared behind him, having slipped in unnoticed. She wrapped her arms around Seth's middle and he said, "Don't think you're getting off that easily." Grace smirked and then kissed Seth's lips and smiled. "Alright, you're forgiven."

[I am the fucking king of splashes! I dwarf all of your shitty attempts at doing any bigger fucking splashes than mine!] Ignis' shouting was beginning to become annoying, but it was still entertaining.

Out of nowhere, a giant column of water, at least two feet in diameter roared its way into Ignis. He was knocked clear from the pool and into the solid rock wall. Seth and Grace looked over to where Mia's head was popped up from one of the pools, her mouth slightly agape. [He was annoying me,] she said simply.

[What the fuck, Mia? What. The. Fuck. That was so fucking uncalled for, you bitch!] Ignis ranted, anger building up in him because of being outdone.

Mia, once more becoming annoyed, opened her mouth and an orb of water appeared. Seth and Grace sunk a little lower in the water, goofy grins on their faces as Ignis' became a mix of sheer terror. Mia released, however, as the water was flying through the air, a Gengar appeared through the rocks and the water hit him instead of Ignis. The Gengar was thrust backwards, similar to what had happened to Ignis, and nearly slammed into the rocks, but managed to stop himself. He floated up a little and then back down.

Seth and Grace slowly moved out of the water and Ignis got into a position, using a Bulk Up without being told to, just in case. Shock removed himself as well, but told Fiore to stay with Mia. Soon, the Gengar was surrounded. He didn't look threatening, but almost, familiar, and scared, but not for himself. "Who are you?" Seth finally asked.

[I'm Gengar, I don't have a name.]

"Are you wild, or do you have a Trainer?" Seth asked, curious as to remember where he'd seen this Gengar before.

As Gengar was about to speak, he looked at Grace and his eyes widened. [YOU!] he cried, pointing at Grace, who ducked behind Seth a little bit. [I know who you are…you're the one my master…umm…there's no way I can say this without being blasted to bits so…you're the Kirlia Thantos…raped…beat…yea…]

Everyone's eyes grew as wide as sausage plates. Ignis began to lunge forward, but Seth held an arm out. He felt something different about the Gengar. He wasn't proud of doing what he did to Grace, he was guilty, so guilty that it seemed to be almost debilitating. He couldn't look at Grace now; his eyes darted from side to side, not wanting to have to face what he did. "Why are you here?" Seth demanded, malice clear in his voice.

[My…master…he needs help…he's dying. He's on the road twenty minutes from here; we searched the forests for hours before I finally found this city. We're not the best with directions.]

Shock crossed his arms and said, [Let's just get back to our day; he does not deserve any help. He's probably already dead anyway.]

[Hell no!] Ignis shouted. [I say we go there and fucking kill him ourselves!]

[Please! He's changed; you have no clue what he's gone through! Please, I beg you, at least give him a chance!] Gengar plead, honest tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.

"**What do you think, Grace, you've been quiet this whole time?"** Seth asked Grace telepathically.

"**I want to see him; I want to show him that I'm stronger now. I want to see the pain on his face like he did with mine," **she answered without a second of hesitation.

"We're going to see him," Seth responded to the Gengar. "I'm not saying we're helping him, but at the very least we're going to see where he is."

[Thank you. This means much to me. And, Grace, if I can call you that…it doesn't mean much…but I'm sorry…I couldn't control myself…you can beat the shit out of me later…]

Grace never answered.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth, Grace, and Gengar were now running or floating down the streets, ignoring the stares of passerby's. Seth and Grace had gotten out of their suits and were now in their regular clothes. Finally, the gate was in sight. Right as Seth was about to run through it, he saw Daron and Abbey, looking at a small flower that was black, white, with a bright red middle. Daron was sketching it while Abbey sniffed it curiously. Daron looked up from his sketch in order to see Seth standing over him.

"Hey, bro, as much as I love the sight of your crotch in my face, would you mind backing up a bit? Thanks," Daron said, standing up as Seth backed away slightly. Daron looked at Gengar and asked, "Where'd he come from?"

"He's taking us to Grace's old trainer," Seth spat.

Daron's sky blue eyes became like ice and his fists clenched. The fur on Abbey's back began to tingle with the thought of the bastard who had hurt her friend like that. "Lead the way; I can't wait to bash his skull in!"

Seth grinned maniacally and took off running once more, Gengar leading the way.

While they were running, or in Grace's case, floating as she couldn't run for a long time or very fast, she was thinking. _What do I do when I see him? What will he do? Will he try to take me back, or will Seth stop him? What if this is a trap and we're walking right into it? I must tell Seth, but he's already worried enough…gah…what should I do? _

Grace never got her chance to voice her concerns because Abbey suddenly spotted the form of a man, lying on the dirt road, obviously in pain. [He's up ahead!] Abbey barked, beginning to speed up a little, extending her claws even further out than they already were.

The group skidded to a stop in front of the man, Thantos. He was laying face down, a small pool of blood originating from his chest and arm. His right wrist and ankle were at awkward angles and looked slightly broken. His black t-shirt was in tatters and his jeans were torn. His feet were bare, calloused, and cut up. It looked like he had attempted to run from something, but just given up. The only sign of life was a shallow sound that one might assume to be breathing. A small cough seemed to wake him from his catatonic sleep. He picked his face up off of the ground and revealed it to the world. His lips were cracked and dry as his equally dry tongue ran over them in an attempt to soften them. His upper lip and nostrils were caked in dried blood and dirt smeared his face. His solid black eyes were closed. He opened them and Grace gasped at what she saw. Rather than the usual hatred or lust she was accustomed to, she saw clouded eyes and they were unsure of what was happening. They darted from side to side like a cornered animal, and grew wide. They were scared and guilty. They were weak.

"No," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He turned his head and an audible cracking sound from his stiff neck was heard. "Gengar, why…why would you bring them to me…why? I don't deserve…" He coughed violently and then continued, "I shouldn't see them, I shouldn't be allowed to apologize, although…if I'm to die, it should be by their hands."

Seth glared at the pathetic whelp of what could never be called a man in front of him. This was the man that hurt his mate so deeply, this was the reason she would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, this was the one who gave her both physical and emotional scars…this one. He reared back his leg and let it fly, spreading dirt in the monster's face. "Next time it's your face!"

Two more figures appeared behind them and were awestruck at what they saw. Machamp and Garchomp both crept forward little by little until Abbey turned and growled menacingly at them. [One more step, and I will rip both of your throats out.] Although they were both probably stronger than she was, and Abbey was outnumbered, the blaze of hatred in her eyes was unmistakable. She crouched low to the ground and the larger Pokemon backed away further. Daron smiled and rubbed her back slightly, enjoying how her soft fur was now rough and ready to fight.

"Good girl," he said quietly. He looked at Thantos and sneered, "You're a bigger dick than I ever was, and that's saying something." He looked at Grace and then at him and commented, "How she never kicked your sorry ass, I'll never know."

Suddenly, Thantos scrambled forward and reached a veiny and messed up hand out. He wrapped his dirty fingers around Grace's leg. He felt out soft it was and instantly every feeling of lust and greed returned. He desired for Grace, wanted to have her once again, he needed her to be his, under his control and there be nothing that anyone could do about it! "MINE!" he cried, his voice scratchy and horrific. It was more like a scream than any human voice.

Grace screamed and Thantos felt his fingers unwrapping themselves from his captive's leg. He then felt two strong hands shove him backwards. He saw the two brothers furious eyes as they burned into his skull and then the pain of being shoved against a tree shot through his back. Seth brought his fist back and slammed it into the side of the monster's face. "You will NEVER TOUCH HER AGAIN!" Seth screamed, spit landing on Thantos' face with every word.

Thantos looked back at Seth with the eyes of a madman. "She's mine!" he hissed, but then grunted as Daron's heavy boot met the middle of his stomach. "Mine…mine…mine…no…Seth's…mine…mine…" Thantos was saying as if it were as simple as breathing.

Machamp and Garchomp began to move to help their master, but Abbey barked viciously. However, they did not stop this time, and instead began to move towards her with evil intent. Gengar, seeing this, floated to Abbey's side and said, "Stop! We mustn't listen to Thantos! You two know what we did was wrong…you know it! STOP!"

"Get outta the way, Gengar!" shouted Machamp. "We gotta protect Master."

"I will fight you, Machamp, and you and I both know that you cannot take me!"

"He's right, Machamp, we shouldn't be slaves to Thantos anymore! He made us think that we had to listen to him, but we can't…not anymore…" Garchomp argued. Beginning to get confrontational with Machamp, who maintained his position of helping Thantos.

Abbey merely sighed and sat on her back legs. "I was hoping for a fight and I get a bitch off." She sighed again and turned to help Seth and Daron who were struggling to keep Thantos maintained by just holding his arms. She walked over calmly and watched one of Thantos' flailing legs. She opened her maw wide and then clamped her razor sharp teeth into his flesh. Thantos screamed, but stopped flailing as images raced past his mind's eye.

Images of his older sister, biting him in the most inappropriate of ways flew by, accompanied by pictures of his mother, the punishment stick, and his bare back. Water dripping from the faucet just out of his reach even when his throat was drier than a desert. Red and purple bruises lining limbs and arms, the feeling of a head throbbing like no other, the smell of burned skin and cigarette smoke, all of these things pushed their way into Thantos' memory. The sight of a caged Kirlia then passed. Everything was calm, pain was an illusion, when another was in control of another, everything was as it should be. The one being controlled had no feelings, had no emotions, and was just a tool to be used. The Kirlia suddenly escaped and the pain was back. He had to return to the ones who controlled him, he must!

Thantos gasped as he returned to reality. "Let me repeat myself," he heard Seth say from what sounded like he was a million miles away. "She is not yours, she is not mine, she is belongs to herself. Now, why did you do such things to my mate?"

"Good…" Thantos gasped out and Seth's eyes narrowed. "She deserves someone like you…such a beautiful…kind…sexy…delicious…slutty…no no no NO!" Thantos shouted and then slammed his head into the tree he was being held against in an attempt to knock the perverted thoughts out of his head. "She is not yours, she is not like that, and you are like that!" Thantos screamed to himself, hitting his head against the tree once again.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Daron commanded. "Answer Seth's question, dammit!"

"Sorry…sorry! Do you really want to know why I did what I did?" Seth and Daron nodded. Thantos, opened his mouth, and then closed it. He looked at Grace, who had been seemingly paralyzed in place, but her eyes shot daggers into Thantos, who looked up at the deep blue sky. Sighing he said, "Before my tenth birthday…I was like any other child; carefree, relaxed, just plain enjoying life. But, the day after my tenth birthday party…everything changed. My mother and father divorced the week beforehand, so she was…different, as was my older, seventeen year old, sister. My mother picked up smoking and my sister began to inject heroin. They did it together sometimes! Any anger they were feeling was blamed on me and they physically brought it out. I considered it a good day when I didn't have anything bleeding or broken. When I turned fifteen, things began to get…sexual… My sister would have one night stands with guys and she would bring me in to watch. Sometimes, when she struck out, she would…do it…with me. My mom would often use me to put out her cigarettes as well. This went on for ten more years before I finally had the balls to run away. That's when I met her and…well you know what happened after that. After you saved her from me…I had nowhere else to go, so I went back to my mom and sister's place. They had bought knives since I was gone and guns too. I never even had a chance to defend myself before the abuse began again, but I escaped once more…and here we are…" Thantos explained.

Looking at him, Daron burst into a heinous laughter. "That is the biggest piece of shit sob story I have ever heard! You probably got your ass beat by some Pokemon trying to take its young to be your own!"

"It's true!" Thantos cried out. "It doesn't excuse what I've done, but it's true!"

"You're right. It doesn't excuse what you've done," Seth said morbidly. "Daron, what should we do with him?"

"I vote for the beating him shitless and then dumping his body in a river somewhere! Or maybe we could feed him to a pack of wild Houndoom; that would be entertaining. You know, watching his body be torn to little bloody bits." Daron suggested somewhat sadistically.

"Hmm…we could let our Pokemon have at him…I'm sure they will enjoy that!" Seth responded and Abbey let out a muffled, but happy yip. Suddenly, Seth got a joyous, but evil look on his face. "I know, let's let Grace decide what to do with him!"

"I like that idea!" Daron responded.

The brothers turned to Grace. She stood motionless for a while until Seth said, "Go on Grace, and tell him everything that you've told to me. He can't hurt you; never again will he hurt you. Tell him what you want, the last thing he hears before he hears his fate."

Grace nodded and closed her eyes. She sucked in some air and then exhaled in quietly and slowly, and then used Calm Mind. She opened her eyes and stared right into Thantos'. He quivered beneath her strong stare. It reminded him of his mother and sister, but what it lacked in sadism, it made up for in sheer strength. This was no longer the timid Kirlia he had once known, but now a powerful Gardevoir.

"**There are so many things I could say to you right now, "Master," **Grace sent out telepathically so that everyone, Seth, Daron, Abbey, Thantos, and even his three arguing Pokemon, who had stopped to watch what would happen to their master, could hear. She stepped up to him and looked at Thantos' sniveling face. **"You've raped me without a trace of remorse, beaten me with sick pleasure, starved me while you stuffed your face, given me scars that you find funny, humiliated me in ways that I cannot begin to describe, and caused me so much agony that I sometimes still feel it!" **Grace's molten red eyes seared themselves into the skull of Thantos, causing him to shake and his eyes began to water. His weak black eyes seemed to be eaten and swallowed up by her red ones, yet whereas when he had terrified her so, there was no gentle side to be found, Thantos could see a restraint that he did not have. **"I only have three little words to say to you…Master…"**

"**I forgive you."**

**A/N: Please don't kill me…and sorry for being so late…**


	21. From Hatred Comes Love

Silence. That was all that was heard in the forest that seemed to be growing colder by the second. Mouths hung open in plain shock at the words that Grace had just spoken. She stood tall, proud, and unabashed in front of her former rapist, torturer, and hell-bringer, and she had forgiven him…for everything.

Seth stared at his mate, his mouth agape and his mind scrambling to find some sort of logical reason as to Grace's unusual decision to forgive this…monster…that he and Daron had pinned to a tree. How could one just forgive a man who had done such heinous acts and seemed to feel no remorse until he was put in a life threatening situation? Seth tried to look into Grace's mind, to see what insanity had plagued her mind. Instead, all he saw was blackness and Grace's voice told him, **"Later, I will explain myself."**

Daron was the first one to manage to recover. "Seth, did I hear her correctly? She said that she FORGIVES him?" As if to prove his disdain towards Thantos, Daron slammed his heavy boot into his chest and caused an audible grunt to come from Thantos as he tried to double over, but couldn't due to the brothers holding him up.

"That's what she said…and meant," Seth mumbled still unable to comprehend what was going through Grace's head. Turning his attention to Thantos, Seth growled, "I guess we won't kill you, but don't think you're free…"

Thantos looked at Grace and instantly memories flooded back to him. All of those horrendous actions he had done to her…everything she'd been through…all because it had made himself feel better. He felt like he was going to be sick, but it only made him remember the number of times that he'd made Grace sick…and laughed at it like some sort of demon. That's all he was, a cold, heartless, empty shell of a demon. "Please," he whispered, his voice was raspy and weak as if he were struggling merely to speak to her. "Don't forgive me…never forgive me…I don't deserve it, I will never deserve it." He turned his head to Seth and looked at him with emotionless eyes. "I can tell that there is something between you two…I don't know what…but…" He was interrupted by searing pain in his leg as Abbey's jaws began to tense up from biting for so long. Blood dribbled down his leg, but Thantos ignored it. "I just want you to know…she is lucky to have found you… It probably wasn't even luck that we crossed. I believe in fate and I think that Arceus was looking out for her, making sure that she escaped me that night and found you. Thank you, Arceus." He turned back to Grace, who hadn't moved a muscle since she'd spoken last and he managed in a hoarse voice to say, "It's no wonder he chose to protect you…you're sweet…beautiful…strong…tasty…voluptuous…" Suddenly, Thantos' eyes became clouded with lust and he felt as if his body was beginning to try to struggle, to grasp Grace's leg. "BITE HARDER!" he shouted, primarily to Abbey and she gladly obliged.

She opened her mouth to release his leg and then found a new spot, right on his knee. She knew that even though the top was hard and would be painful, the bottom was soft and chewable. She opened her mouth and clamped down with such force that blood instantly flooded into Abbey's mouth, causing her to choke a bit. She let go long enough to cough up the bitter blood and then bit down once more in the exact same spot, this time, however, she heard a distinct chipping sound; a sign that bone had been broken.

Thantos screamed and howled, but his face smiled. It was not because he enjoyed the pain, quite the opposite really, but he was ecstatic as he felt his lust retreating back into the storm he called a subconscious. The pain never went away, but finally Thantos managed to relax enough to stammer out, "T-thank you." Thantos put his head against the tree and took several breaths as old scenes continued to fly past his eyes, never ceasing to etch into his mind all of the pain…all of the suffering that he put Grace through.

"So Seth…" Daron started, but stopped as he looked over at his brother. He didn't need any special sort of powers to see that Seth was enraged. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, his breathing ragged and deep, his muscles were clearly tenses, and a thin line of sweat was beginning to form on his brow. His hands seemed to clench and unclench on Thantos' arm, no doubt causing even more excruciating pain. "Grace," Daron whispered just loud enough for her to hear. "Calm Seth down…I think he's going to do something that he'll regret…believe me, I know about that stuff."

Grace broke from her trance. While she was in it, every memory she'd ever had, even before Thantos had been pounding on her psych. Seth's constant probing wasn't helping make matters any better. She remembered when she was just a Ralts, her parents being taken from her and her being left for another wild Pokemon to get. She remembered the night she was captured as a Kirlia. The rain had hidden her tears that night… However, she cut her own thoughts off from that and quickly looked at Seth, and Daron was indeed correct. She drifted over to behind Seth and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Seth turned his head violently and gritted his teeth ferociously, his eyes full of fury. Grace matched the intensity of Seth's gaze with a calm one, sending him relaxing emotions and trying to soothe the beast that seemed to infect Seth.

Breathing heavily, but evenly, Seth began to calm down. His eyes relaxed and the fire that burned inside was subsiding, being reduced to nothing more than useless ash. Rather than the tenacious killer that was ready to kill Thantos, there now stood the Seth that Grace remembered. **"Please, Seth, calm down." **Grace sent him. Even though her face was even, her voice was broken and desperate.

Seth's eyes began to dart back and forth between Thantos and Grace. Should he let go of him…what if he escapes? Grace, reading Seth's mind without actually trying to nodded and walked in front of Thantos, who had his eyes closed and seemed to be reciting something over and over, his lips moving, but not a sound uttered. Using her powers, Grace opened Thantos' eyes and turned his head so that they were staring straight into hers. She then used Hypnosis and he soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

Daron relaxed and let Thantos' arm down with a thud and Abbey did the same with his leg. He knelt down and picked up Thantos' three pokeballs, recalling the Gengar, Machamp, and Garchomp. He put them in his deep pocket and sat next to Abbey who was moving her tongue around in her mouth trying to clean the last bit of vile blood from her maw. Daron smiled and Abbey returned it, putting her head in Daron's lap as he gently rubbed it, not watching Seth and Grace, letting them decide what to do. He took in a chilly breath and exhaled deeply, knowing exactly the kind of anger that Seth had just felt… and the guilt that he now felt over it.

Seth had released his hold over Thantos and he watched him slump over onto the hard ground. He was no longer bleeding, but it was clear that he was not in the best of health, to say the least. Seth turned all the way around and Grace was standing there, looking at him with her large red eyes. As he looked into them, he saw something he'd never seen before when she'd looked at him…fear. "Grace-" he started, but he was cut off by Grace pressing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her thin body and she tossed hers around his neck, all fear dissipating as she remembered that this was not the angry man she had just seen.

The two separated, but remained in each other's arms, not caring if anyone was there or saw them at that point. "I love you," Grace whispered.

"I love you," Seth responded. His stomach was a tangle of a million knots as he looked back to just a few minutes and saw his anger…his most primal side…a side that he'd never shown anyone, not even himself. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what took over me…I just-" Seth broke off, unsure of what to say.

Grace gave a small smile; she lowered her hands from around Seth's neck and held his in hers. "We can talk later, now we need to decide what to do with him." She nodded towards Thantos' unconscious body.

"We can't leave him here and…"

"He's not dying," Grace stated. It wasn't a suggestion, it was a fact.

"I know, I was just going to suggest dumping his body by the Incendio Center and leaving a note explaining all he did," Seth explained.

Grace nodded happily. "Yes, that'll work." She turned, with Seth's arm connected to hers and the two lifted up Thantos' body with their powers.

Daron, who had been helping Abbey get the extra bits of blood out of her mouth with his shirt, heard movement and turned to see Thantos' body floating. He stood up and Abbey followed suit. Out of nowhere, Daron burst out laughing. Grace and Seth gave him a strange look and he said, "I think that when we get to town, we be a little more secretive than a bunch of weird people walking around with a half-dead floating body." Seth chuckled and shook his head whilst Grace and Abbey both laughed heartily.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Seth and Grace were back in their luxurious hotel room, enjoying the solitude after such an eventful day. A quick glance at the clock told that it was only about 9:00 in the evening. Most of the small, family run stores had closed for the night, but the hotel's restaurant was still open, and Daron and Abbey were still eating, but they had promised that they'd be in their room later if Seth or Grace needed anything. The group had managed to sneak back into the city with relative ease, due to most people being at the starts of late-night beach parties or other gatherings. They had put Thantos outside the Pokemon Center and left a note that told of all of his deeds, hoping that he wouldn't just try to escape. Even though Seth wasn't comfortable doing such, he allowed it only on Grace's pleas.

Now, he was sitting on his bed, mind racing as he tried to piece together all that had transpired that day. Grace was sitting next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed in deep thought as she was planning what to say when Seth asked for her reason for letting Thantos go.

Sure enough, it came. "Why did you forgive him?" Seth asked, his voice was flat and objective. Ever since he had heard those words come out of Grace's mouth, he couldn't fathom how she could possibly have seen him in some sort of light that made it seem like he wasn't the despicable waste of air and space he seemed to be.

Grace drew in a long, deliberate breath. She picked her head off of Seth's shoulder and moved to the center of the bed, beckoning Seth to turn around and face her. He did so and sat cross-legged on the king-sized bed. He looked at Grace's beautiful form while she adjusted her dress. She was sitting with her legs underneath her, supported by her knees and trying to get her dress so that it was out of her way. Seth moved closer and Grace smiled, enjoying seeing Seth's gentle face closer to hers.

When all of her excuses to delay were gone, Grace took in one more deep breath and began to explain herself. "When he began to tell us that story about his abuse and torture, like you and Daron, I didn't believe him one bit. I began to search through his mind and saw…he was telling the truth. Everything that he said happened was true and real. He had so much pain bottled up inside him, and everywhere he turned, no one was there. I felt everything he felt when I looked inside. I felt the quiet despair of a child who watches his life crumble before it has even really started, I could taste the blood of any dreams that were now lying dead at my feet, killed by my own mother and sister, and I felt a loneliness like one you've never known. It was as if you were in an empty space, constantly being hurt and berated, but there is no one to help you with the suffering, no one who you can trust…just no one. Every feeling he had…I felt them all the same when I was his little slave." Grace burst into tears and she shoved her face into Seth's chest, hating herself for no real reason.

Seth pulled her close to him and took one hand, placed it on her chin, and moved it so that she was looking into his eyes. "If you don't wish to continue, tell me, and we'll stop right now." His voice was gentle and soothing.

Grace dried her tears the best that she could and replied, "No, I want to tell you." Seth nodded and continued to hold her to his chest. Using Calm Mind to help herself relax, Grace continued. "I saw all of this pain inside of him and I knew exactly what was going through his mind, but it was when he talked about finding me that made me forgive him. When he found me, suddenly every painful, bitter, horrid emotion he and I were experiencing went away. What replaced it was a sense of lightness, bubbly almost. It was like someone had just injected us with pure happiness. He wasn't happy about torturing me, but rather he was joyous that his days of torment were over, and in his twisted vision of how life worked, he saw that he was doing no wrong. I felt the same giddiness and joy when I met you for the first time. It was a feeling that I never wanted to end, it was almost like a drug, addicting, but without the side effects. We, in truth, were both after the same thing. We both wanted to be released and happy, but how he found it was wrong and perverse. Finally, when he told that he had to go back, all of the agony returned with it and it seemed to intensify from there, it was even worse than before. I wanted to scream and rip my heart right out of my chest from just feeling such painful times, I have no idea how he managed to live like that and actually experience firsthand." Grace sighed heavily as tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Seth leaned down and planted a kiss on his mate's forehead, whispering, "I love you," over and over again. When Grace managed to compose herself once more, Seth said, "Basically, you know what it was like to be both hurt and be free, so you felt sympathy when he had to go back whereas you escaped forever."

"In a way, yes. It's more that I understand that he did what he did to me because it was the only way to fight the pain and difficulties of his past life." Grace repositioned herself slightly so that she was up next to Seth's face, her small breasts pressed up against Seth's chest.

Seth put a hand on her face and they kissed for a few seconds before Seth confessed, "I still don't think that I will ever forgive him for what he did."

"I don't ask that of you," Grace assuaged. "I just want you to accept that I have forgiven him. Can you do that…for me?"

Seth smiled and nodded. However, his smile quickly faded and he asked, "Grace, can I tell you something?"

Grace knew something big was wrong without so much as a single glance through Seth's emotions. "Of course, you can tell me anything, you know that."

Now it was Seth's turn to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes and said, "When I was angry like that…I honestly wanted nothing more than to kill Thantos. And I mean I wanted to be the one to do it. Whenever I looked at him, or when he spoke, I saw new ways to kill him, and each time, all it made me do was want to kill him even more. There was nothing that I would have rather done than tear out his eyes and shove them down his throat so they could watch themselves burn." Seth's breathing became ragged once more, but Grace looked deeply into his eyes and he managed to calm down enough to continue. "I've fought before sure, but I've never actually wanted to kill somebody…not like that... I've never wanted anybody to suffer like that. It made me feel like a monster…like…like…it made me feel like my father."

Grace quickly recalled the memory of how Seth's father brutally slaughtered his mother. "Seth-" Grace started, but Seth was too far gone into his story so Grace stopped and listened.

"When you touched my shoulder, I felt all the rage that was pent up in me dissipate, and all that was left was the desire to kill Thantos. My anger no longer had any influence over my wants. I wanted to kill Thantos of my own free will. I couldn't look you in your face, it was too horrible. I was not the man you loved, I was just another of my father. Then, when I let go, that desire left me, and all that is left now is me…and I don't feel any better."

Grace finally could not take any more. She put a finger to his lips when he opened them to speak again. She kissed his cheek and set her chin on his shoulder so that he mouth was right by his ear. "Seth, I want you to know, that I don't think any less of you for that. I think I would've been more upset had you not wanted to kill him. I know it's a horrible thing to say, but maybe we're horrible creatures, but I really don't care. I love you with all of my heart, and nothing you do could ever change that."

Seth hugged her close and just enjoyed the sheer tenderness of her heart. He felt it beat in time with his and he closed his eyes, beginning to rock back and forth silently. The two were locked in an intimate embrace and they could not think of being anywhere else but right with the other. "Grace," Seth whispered.

"Hmm?" she responded, enjoying the slight rocking motion. It was as if she was on a boat sailing gently down a calm river, only made better by the fact that she was with Seth.

"I want to make love…right now."

"I think you just read my mind." Grace let go of Seth and laid down on the bed, pulling off her gloves one at a time, very slowly, teasing Seth as he quickly discarded his jacket and shirt. The hotel room was warm and felt good on Seth's chest as he lay down next to Grace. He placed a hand on her face and kissed her with all of the passion he could muster. Grace returned the kiss with equal intensity pushing so hard into Seth that she could have become one with him.

Seth gradually began to move down Grace's body, hands massaging every inch of it. Grace groaned quietly and suddenly, she was nude having teleported her dress off of her. She blushed slightly, as she always did. Seth's hands were now free to caress his mate's lovely form. He ran his hands up her smooth, silky legs and over her midriff, causing her to giggle at the ticklish feeling. Seth felt his bottom half suddenly feel very empty, a sign that Grace had done the job of removing his pants for him. His member was already erect and ready, pressing up against Grace's nether regions.

Grace, continuing her relentless kiss with Seth, also made much use of her body. She moved her body as close to Seth's as she could emanating nothing but the greatest of joy and love, and she felt the same return to her from Seth. She lifted up one of her legs and placed it on top of Seth's, an invitation to enter her whenever he wished. She made shapes with both of her hands on Seth's back and sent goose bumps, which seemed to afflict her as well, all over Seth's body. He shuddered at the sensation.

He broke the kiss just long enough to look at Grace's face. He white skin seemed to be a beacon of radiance, illuminated by the full moon, basking the lover's in a silver light. The light blush that accompanied her giddy smile only added to her beauty. Her hair fell over one of her fiery red eyes, so he pushed it out of the way so he could see both of the gleaming gems. His fingers brushed Grace's breasts as he moved his other hand down her body, over stomach, and down in between her legs. He rubbed her entrance ever so slightly. He knew not to go too far with this due to Grace's nerves, but he knew just the right amount to give her plenty of pleasure without crossing the line.

Grace moaned a little as she felt Seth's fingers dance along her slit. "Seth…I love you so much," she whispered as if the walls would betray their secret if she spoke loud enough.

Seth didn't speak in response, but rather removed his hand and engaged in another loving kiss. He then pressed the tip of his manhood into her entrance, causing Grace to gasp slightly, but instantly return to the kiss. He pushed slowly, trying to maximize Grace's pleasure, not his own. Finally, he reached his limit and then pulled right back out. He continued at a slow and steady rhythm. Tonight was not a night just for fun; it was a night to forget all the pain, to remind those involved of the good in the world; that there is true love, not just hate. And to remind them, they would always have each other.

After several minutes Grace moaned out, "Seth, please, faster, I can take it!" Seth was only too happy to accommodate his mate's wishes. He began to thrust faster and faster until he reached the limit that he knew Grace could handle. "Yes!" Grace cried out in a hushed voice. "Right there!"

Seth was beginning to grow tired, the long day taking its toll on his stamina, but he kept up the pace for Grace. "I love you, Grace," he proclaimed, out loud, not caring who heard him. Finally, the two lovers reached their peak and began to climax. Grace cried out loudly in _sheer_ pleasure as he walls began to hug Seth's member. Her hips bucked wildly and The Mark on her arm glowed a bright pink, a sign of love. Seth grunted as he shot his seed and Grace milked him for all he was worth, his own mark a passionate red.

After about ten seconds, the two finally managed to calm down, but they both were breathing heavily. Seth rolled next to Grace and planted a kiss on her cheek. She turned and rolled onto her stomach and put on arm on Seth's chest. He grasped her hand gently and kissed it, right where the scar from Thantos was. Grace closed her eyes peacefully and shuffled as close to Seth as he could, kissing him on the lips one last time before saying, "Seth, I love you, don't you ever forget that."

"I won't," he whispered, using his powers to pull the blanket over both of them. A cloud had passed in front of the bright moon, allowing the two to sleep soundly.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron yawned widely as he walked through the hotel lobby, Abbey in tow. He pressed the button outside the elevator doors and stepped back to wait for it. As he waited, he absentmindedly scratched Abbey's head. Abbey always enjoyed it when he did that. He didn't even think twice about it, he just did it because he knew it made her happy. She purred appreciatively and Daron flashed her a smile. She always loved when she could make him smile, whether or not she was being goofy. Lately, it seemed that everything Daron did made her happy, and vice versa. She moved closer to Daron's leg, taking in his wonderful natural scent and secretly wishing she could be with him. She was falling for Daron whether she liked it or not. He could be a bit harsh on the exterior sometimes, but she always could see the golden heart of his.

"Damn, how long does it take for an elevator to get here?" Daron asked nobody in particular. He looked at Abbey and shrugged in a silly manner. Abbey giggled and Daron knelt down to her level. He wrapped one arm around her and gave her a small hug, not noticing the blush on her face.

A ding informed Daron that the elevator had finally arrived. He stood up and entered with Abbey right behind him. As he turned to face the door, he saw a man waving the Daron down to stop the elevator doors which were closing. Daron put his boot in between the doors and they opened back up. The man who flagged him down scrambled into the elevator and was a little out of breath. He was fairly well dress. A white, button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a red tie. His pants were solid black and he wore expensive looking fancy shoes. He looked to be in his older thirties to low forties. His hair was brown and slick and he had a bushy, but well groomed beard.

"Thank you, lad," the man said in between breaths. "I'm not as young as I used to be!"

Daron nodded politely and responded, "It's no trouble."

The doors closed and Daron pressed the top floor button while the well dressed man pressed the one two floors below it. The gears groaned as they began to lift the elevator up. Abbey watched as the numbers on an electronic screen slowly increase every time they would pass another floor. However, she was soon aware of the man in the elevator with them staring at her with disdain. She pawed at Daron's legs and he looked down. "Sol!" she said glancing at the well dressed man.

Daron looked over and saw that he was indeed staring at Abbey; he had a look on his face like he was revolted. "Do you need something with my Absol?" Daron questioned, annoyed by the look on the man's face.

"Are you aware that your Absol has some quite…undesirable qualities?" He said the word "undesirable" as if it were an understatement.

"Such as?" Daron countered, knowing exactly where he was going to go.

The man huffed and said, "For starters, she's missing a horn, and her hair should not be like that, it's not natural." Once again he glared at Abbey like she'd done something wrong. "Wouldn't you rather have a more _perfect _Absol? I am a breeder of them and I have several that I think would be much more suitable than…_this_…" At this Abbey began to weep, two tears falling onto the carpeted elevator floor. She looked up at Daron who gave her a reassuring smile.

"No, frankly, I like my Abigail the way she is. I find her much prettier that way anyway." Daron responded in a comical manner.

The man's face turned a deep scarlet and asked, "Why would you settle for such _imperfection_? You can afford a top floor suite; you can afford a better Absol!"

"What kind of human lets a Pokemon go to fend for itself, and then has the balls to go and BUY another?" Daron countered, becoming agitated with the man's ignorance.

"She is just so ugly! No horn, wrong fur, and I can even tell that she's infertile! What kind of Absol is that?" the man spat. After hearing that the man could tell she was infertile, Abbey turned to the corner and began to cry full throttle.

Daron sneered at the man, who quickly became intimidated. The doors opened on the breeder's floor and Daron pointed out into the hallway. "Get your ass out of here before I kick it out!" Daron's eyes narrowed to slits and the man quickly exited the elevator. The door closed and Daron turned to Abbey who was facing the corner with her tail tucked beneath her and her head hung so low that Daron was worried that she might fall over any second. He placed a hand on her back and she jumped up, whirled around, and growled.

Her fighting stance dropped when she saw Daron's eyes. They were blue as a crystal pond. They washed away any feeling of inferiority in Abbey. In Daron's eyes, she saw herself, but instead of seeing herself as an imperfect abomination, she saw herself how Daron saw her, a great, cute friend. "Absol," she said quietly putting her paws on Daron's shoulders and giving him the quadruped version of a hug.

Daron didn't say a word and hugged her back. The door opened on their floor and Daron, surprising Abbey, lifted her off of the ground and said, "You get to go in style!"

"Ab!" Abbey yipped, giggling joyously. Daron walked down the hallway, past Seth's suite and over to his own door. He put in the key and entered, setting Abbey down as he did so. He pulled out Umbra and Lars' luxury balls, but merely set them on the desk. They had gotten into a fight in the restaurant that had culminated in the Tenebraes owing the hotel a new grill and half a week's worth of banana cream pie. He had sent Dusk over to Sarah for a little so he could be with Dawn and Sunny. That left only him and Abbey for the night.

Daron slipped off his boots and sock and threw his overcoat on the desk's chair. He then ran up and jumped on the fluffy comforter, feeling the fabric between his fingers. Abbey hopped up and joined him happily. She lay on her back and panted expectedly at Daron. She yipped quietly, aware of Seth and Grace who were probably both asleep by now in the next room.

Daron chortled and sat up, stretched and teased, "I don't feeeeeel like it tonight." He began to scratch his own stomach and stuck his tongue out at Abbey playfully. Abbey gave him a critical look and he caved, once again to her looks.

Abbey panted happily as Daron crawled over and began to rub feverishly over Abbey's stomach. It was her favorite spot to be rubbed and she really only trusted Daron to do it after all that she had been through with other humans. "Absol sol!" Abbey barked in gratitude as Daron got a small spot that she particularly enjoyed. It was right next to her bottom right leg and whenever he hit it just right, her leg started kicking uncontrollably, the same as it was doing right then. Daron laughed heartily and Abbey joined, however, it was cut short by a familiar plague happening all over again.

Once more, Daron had gotten a bit too low and he felt his fingers touch something warm and wet, Abbey's untouchables. Daron and Abbey shared an equally large and embarrassed blush, but rather than recoiling instantly like the two had done last time, Daron left his fingers there and Abbey did not move. There in that instant, the two felt something, it was some sort of spark…like something was telling them what to do. It seemed like an electrical love surged through them as Daron looked at Abbey.

He had known for quite some time that he was attracted to Abbey. She was funny, goofy, and just a playful kind of creature that everyone should have the pleasure of meeting. However, she could also be serious, wise, and a good Pokemon to talk to. She was exactly what Daron wanted….and needed. Other than that, she was intelligent and if he had said she was gorgeous, it would have been an understatement. He never really talked about relationships that much, especially one that he felt so intensely about. Most of his involved one night stands with random girls that said they could "make him feel better." Now however, he felt something for Abbey. Despite what triggered it being dirty, the emotion was not. He wasn't sure if he truly loved Abbey like Seth loved Grace, but he knew damn well that he was attracted to her.

Abbey was feeling almost the same way. She felt so strongly attached to Daron, as if they were supposed to be together. She didn't mind if she was destined to be with him or not, but she did care if he felt the same way. Despite being cold and hard on the outside, inside, Daron was just a teddy bear that had never been truly loved in the last few years. Other than his kind nature, Abbey loved his art. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. She'd seen art in human cities before, but Daron's was different. It was filled to the brim with color and each color meant something different. Some were just to add realism; some truly had meaning behind them. She loved just looking at the paintings, sketches, and everything else he made and just try to figure out what he meant by it. Was it just a painting for fun…or was it something more? It always intrigued her and the more she saw in his art, the more she saw in him.

As if driven by a primal instinct, Daron and Abbey mechanically sat up and faced each other. Daron was on his knees on the bed and Abbey was seated on all fours. They stared at each other's faces, trying to read one. Daron saw a curiosity in Abbey's eyes, one that wondered what he would do next. In Daron's eyes, Abbey saw desire, not a sexual one, but rather a desire just to be loved and to love. The two slowly moved closer together until they were mere centimeters apart. They're lips seemed to moisten, they expected so much of what was to happen, but at the last second, the duo pulled away and looked away from each other.

After several minutes, Daron managed to speak to Abbey. "What are we doing?" Abbey cocked her head in a confused manner. "I mean…do you think this is real…or are just being influenced by Seth and Grace?"

Abbey opened her mouth to speak but then closed it. Daron was right! What if all of this was a cruel lie, played upon them like a bad orchestra? "Absol…" Abbey murmured dejectedly.

Daron couldn't stand to see her like this. Steeling his nerves he suggested, "How about this, we will…kiss…and see what we feel. Fair?" Daron waited anxiously for Abbey's response, a pit of despair forming in his stomach.

Abbey finally looked up into Daron's sky blue eyes and nodded, confidently. Daron seemed to light up as did Abbey. The two moved close once more, an awkwardness filling the air with tension. Finally, the two were in the same position they were a few minutes beforehand. This time, however, their lips connected. When they did, the same jolt of passion flowed through them as when Daron had inadvertently touched Abbey. The two quickly melted into the kiss, Daron wrapping his arms around Abbey and intertwining his hands in her soft fur.

The last bit of ice seemed to thaw from Daron's heart and it shone through what was once a dark and twisted shell. He had finally found someone who cared about him, outside of his family, somebody who didn't want him because he was rich, or because he would paint them in every pose imaginable. He had found that one special person, that one special being in the universe that would love him unconditionally. He found Abbey.

The two broke and so did the tension in the air. Abbey just stared at Daron, amazed at how he truly had feelings for one as imperfect as her. Not only that, it was because of her imperfections that he loved her! "I love you, Daron," she whispered, but quickly remembered that Daron couldn't understand her. She cast down her eyes, but Daron just smiled.

He kissed her cheek and said, "I don't need to understand you, I know what you just said. And…I love you to, my dear." With that, Daron shut off the light, got back into the bed, and patted a spot next to him under the covers. Abbey immediately took the hit and settled into the little area next to Daron. She moved her head onto Daron's shoulder and laughed as her long white fur began to get tangled with Daron's long black hair. Daron kissed Abbey on the lips one last time before closing his eyes. The last thing he saw was Abbey's beautiful face form a small yawn that made Daron smile.

**A/N: This is probably one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far. It also only took me one day to write. I had a rough chapter, but when I was about to post it, I got a huge hit of inspiration, deleted it all, and re-wrote it like this. I'd like to thank you all for being patient with updates, and if you're interested, take a look at my SSB fic, Parallel of Love and Madness. **


	22. Night, Fight, Plight

The room was dark, with a floor made of cold stone, and screams echoed through its high ceiling, which couldn't be seen due to the impenetrable blackness that concealed its presence. In the room, there was very little on the walls. A few cracks on in the bricks decorated its surface and gave the appearance of a purposeful design. Insects and other microbes scaled the area as they gave no notice to the act occurring on the table in the middle of the room.

Daron was brutalizing Abbey horrendously. His skinny body was nude and he hungrily plowed himself into Abbey, who was restrained onto a heavy wooden table. He front paws were tied together above her head and her bottom ones were forced to the table with black leather straps.

Abbey looked up at Daron, fear present in every twitching, aching portion of her frail figure. Her fur was greasy and matted with numerous knots strewn throughout. Her fur pulled on itself and blood stains were prevalent against the milky white color. Abrasions and lacerations adorned her skin, turning areas from black to purple to blue to green. Red fluid leaked from each cut and pooled in shallow puddles on the rough table. Splinters were being driven into her back and caused unbearable agony, piercing the skin and turning from a dull brown into a bright crimson. Abbey's ruby eyes stared at Daron, desperation plain on her face. She screamed over and over, yelling at Daron to stop, but he wouldn't and it seemed that the room cut off her and Daron from the rest of the world. She felt each pinprick of a the needle-like splinters on the table thrust themselves deeper into her back as Daron pounded on her helpless form. Each thrust brought a new wave of blood oozing out of the wounds. Abbey cried relentlessly as she felt the sickening sensation of pleasure ride through her, forced on by her body's own wants and needs. She couldn't believe that out of all of the people to do such a thing to her…it would never have been Daron. He was the one who accepted her, the one who had always protected her no matter what… the one who had proclaimed his love for her in what seemed like another lifetime.

Daron, despite the manic grin on his face, the bloodshot, lustful look in his ice blue eyes, and the relentless power behind each of his thrust, was in a pain as great as Abbey's. He wanted to stop, wanted desperately to pull Abbey up into his arms, cradle her head, and kiss her as lovingly as he could. He wanted to muster every apology he could, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop. It was such a peculiar feeling, as if Daron's mind were separate from his body and he was merely watching as something else controlled him, but he hated what he saw. He could see the pain implanted on Abbey's face as he violated her in one of the most sacred of ways. Every time he would push into her, he'd see her claws extend and contract as her muscles unwillingly tense themselves. Blood streaked down her fur and in it, Daron could see all of her. He saw her pain, her betrayal, her pain, her disgust, her pain, her pain, her pain. Seeing her pain was what was slowly killing him.

Suddenly, Daron's body stopped. He pulled out of Abbey slowly and she looked at him, relief was not one of the emotions on her face. She had been through enough in her life to know that when it seems that nothing can become worse, it always does. Daron, who still had a crazed smile on his face, stared at Abbey's writhing form with disgust. It wasn't a disgust of her, but rather of himself; he couldn't control himself, just like he hadn't when he'd been depressed.

From the darkness, faces of different women began to take form. They were all different. Some had blonde hair whilst others had red hair. Some had brown eyes and some blue. Each was one that Daron had once slept with and left. There were about fifteen in all. They each had horrific expressions of disdain and disappointment smeared on their perfectly fake faces. Daron began to recall each and every night he'd spent with each and every one of the girls. He'd always sleep with them, they promised they could help him with his condition, and then he'd wake up revolted by the vile actions that he'd committed as he watched the nude girl's sleeping form next to him. He would always leave without a word.

"Betrayal!" one of the heads shouted hoarsely. It was a brunette girl with big black eyes and fair skin. She seemed almost like a ghost, Daron recalled, they way she managed to drift around with such grace that she could have passed for floating. It was that skimming that had caused Daron to be smitten. She had been his sixth.

"Liar!" shouted another head. This one had bleached blonde hair and green eyes. Number three if Daron remembered correctly.

"You said you loved her!" the third head spat, striking Daron right down to his very core. He didn't even bother looking to see which head had spoken. He stared at Abbey, tied up and restrained, bleeding and battered, weeping pitifully. She was still the most beautiful out of all of the girls in the room. The inky blackness of the room seemed to avoid touching her as her radiant white fur seemed to give off an eerie glow. Her eyes were like glittering gemstones, allowed only to be viewed, never owned.

Tears began to stream down Daron's face and onto his still smiling lips. The small droplets of water hung onto his pink lips for a small time and then splashed in his mouth. They tasted salty a bitter, the tears of regret.

"You think YOU deserve to cry, you filthy pervert!" screamed a shrill voice from who knows where.

"Brother, how could you!" Daron looked up to see Seth, holding Grace's hand tightly, glaring at him. Grace had an intense look on her face that said if Seth wasn't there, Daron would be dead now. "She was your mate, your lover, your friend!" Seth shouted loudly.

Sarah and Bruce stepped out of the shadows next. Sarah was on the brink of tears and she hissed, "You sicken me…only a monster could hurt an innocent, sweet creature like Abbey. You…you're not my twin…my twin wouldn't HURT a fly!" The word "hurt" echoed in Daron's mind, repeating itself over and over, drilling it into his subconscious. He had hurt Abbey, like so many others before, worse than others before.

The voiced continued to shriek, but it didn't matter what they said, Daron had hurt Abbey, the one he'd promised to himself to love and protect always. Words lashed at Daron harshly, biting into him like a thin cobra striking repeatedly at its prey, leaving a painful sensation as poison coursed through the victim's blood.

Finally regaining some control over himself, Daron managed to shout, "I didn't hurt her!" Still the people in the room shouted in such a way that it was a wonder that they didn't become hoarse or just lose their voice all together. Daron was now in full tears, each tear seemed to burn his skin as he knew that he did not deserve to cry in such a fashion. "I didn't hurt her!" he moaned again and again, each time he tried to pour out more and more of his heart into his false pleas. "I didn't hurt her! I didn't touch her! I would never hurt her!"

Suddenly, everything was quiet. The voices and the bodies they belonged to were gone. The darkness still pervaded everything, but Daron now found that he was fully clothed. The table upon which Abbey had been strapped to was now also gone, and she was instead sitting, menacingly, on the invisible ground. Her eyes bored into Daron's with an intensity the likes of which Daron had never seen. "Please…" Daron began, taking a small step forward. Abbey bared her teeth and Daron returned to his original position. "Please, you know I wouldn't hurt you…"

Daron attempted to smile, but his face just ended up in an awkward jumble of skin and teeth. Abbey stood and contemplated Daron for a moment before she began to walk towards him. Daron began to genuinely smile. He reached out an arm, pushing through the blackness towards Abbey's glowing light. Finally, Abbey was in reaching distance. However, rather than take Daron's hand, as he had hoped, and even somewhat expected. Abbey opened her jaw and bit down on Daron's arm.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Daron's eyes shot open at lightning speed. He was in a dark place, but moonlight filtered through a window behind him so he could see that he was in a hotel. He could feel his hair on his neck and the sweat that drenched it, his flesh, and practically everything around him. Daron's mind scrambled to put the pieces of the shattered puzzle back together. His eyes darted around the room, confused, until they finally managed to lock onto something. Abbey was standing on the bed, crouched over Daron's arm, biting gently, her own eyes occasionally glancing towards Daron to check if he was awake. She'd been woken by his thrashing about and when she saw how his condition was, she tried to get him up by biting his arm. It wasn't hard, just enough to get his attention and leave a few teeth marks that would go away within the hour.

Daron stared at Abbey, his reality altered by the sudden transition from his dream to the secular world. Springing up, Daron yanked his arm from out of Abbey's mouth, causing long red streaks to appear on his skin. He ran to the other end of the room, hands trying to dig into the walls. He'd just raped Abbey…he had to get away before she killed him.

Abbey, on the other hand, was completely bewildered at Daron's bizarre behavior. She was tired and somewhat irritated at the moment and Daron's craziness wasn't going to help her get back to sleep. She sauntered over to where Daron, who was now sitting in a corner like a punished child, rocked back and forth. She rolled her eyes and prepared to swat his head when she heard what he was murmuring under his breath. "I didn't hurt her, I didn't hurt her, I didn't hurt her…no…not me…"

Abbey couldn't quite understand what he was talking about. Who had he hurt? Sarah? Umbra? Herself? She walked up behind him and lightly touched his shoulder. Daron whirled around and his eyes flashed with an unknown emotion when he saw Abbey. He tried to turn back around, to accept his fate, but his gaze met Abbey's stern face and he just looked at her. "Sol?" she asked, her voice was sweet, and soothing, like a delicate chocolate, rich and full of pleasure, but not overwhelming.

Daron, finally managing to calm down, began to organize his thoughts in his head. The irrationality and perplexity of his recent episode began to recede and were replaced with a logical, more practical mindset. He successfully revamped his thought process, becoming able to differentiate between the nightmare and real world. He sucked in a large amount of the cool night air, feeling his chest expand and compress. "Sorry," Daron stated, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the wall. After another big breath, Daron opened his eyes once more and saw that Abbey was getting close to him, soon placing both of her forepaws on Daron's shoulders, her face even with his. She dragged her rough tongue across Daron's face in a similar manner to how a mother would her cubs. Daron smiled and wrapped his arms around Abbey, gently stroking her fur. He buried his face into her and inhaled her scent. He never realized how much she smelled like lavender.

"Absol, ab."

Although he didn't truly understand what she was saying Daron responded, "Yea, I'm alright now." Abbey nuzzled into the crook of Daron's neck and she sighed contently, happy that she was wrapped in the arms of the man that she loved; he might have his quirks, but she had him and that's all she cared about. The two stayed in that position for a time, just relaxing, allowing the serenity of night to caress their tired bodies. Every now and again, Daron would plant a kiss on Abbey's cheek, causing her to blush, but it was hidden under her naturally dark skin. "Hey, Abbey," Daron whispered, almost inaudibly.

"Hm?" she responded, sounding half asleep herself.

"Can we go back to the bed now; my butt's gone numb…"

Abbey began to laugh so hard that she fell off of Daron and started rolling around on the carpet. Her lighthearted laughter seemed to shoo away the tension and negative sentiment from the room, leaving only moonlight and its natural glory.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Grace awoke to find that Seth was not with her. In her half-asleep state, she did not register that he wasn't there and suddenly began to kiss a pillow. Fortunately, he senses kicked in and she instantly recoiled, feeling a heavy blush form on her face, very noticeable against her milk-white skin. She sat up and twisted a few times, enjoying the crackle of her back as one after another, her vertebrae cracked, relieving her stiff back. She heard the shower running and felt Seth inside. Yawning, she teleported her dress onto herself and stood up, only to be knocked down onto the bed. A powerful feeling had accosted her…a feeling she was rather familiar with…love. However, it wasn't from Seth, instead coming from somewhere in the hotel, on their floor.

Grace attempted to stand up again and touched the gem in the middle of her chest, reaching the other hand to the protrusion on her back. She focused on each individual on their floor, carefully analyzing each one's specific emotions at that point in time. Most were important businessmen and women, so they were either feeling rushed or hungry, but the one abnormality that struck Grace was in the very next room over, Daron's. Rather, Daron and Abbey's. Grace removed her hands from her horns and then held them up to her chin and began to bounce up and down with giddy excitement, trying desperately to muffle an upcoming squeal.

"Finally," Grace whispered excitedly. She'd known about Abbey's feelings for some time now, but Seth was still too inexperienced to be able to pinpoint any sort of direct correlation between a feeling of love and its emitter.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

It was now the middle of the afternoon. After wandering around Incendio, watching the hung-over partiers from the previous night stumble into their shacks, for a few hours, the gang decided it would be a good time to have Seth challenge the Incendio gym leader, Ken. He was famous as a water-type trainer in a town named after the fires that continuously burned.

"It actually makes sense," Daron stated flatly. "Him being the best trainer here, being a water type trainer in a town full of fire-types."

"Sol!" Abbey agreed excitedly. All day she had been clinging closer to him than she ever did before, but she and Daron agreed not to tell anyone quite yet, although based on the frequent, innocent, glances from Grace, Abbey could tell that she knew, she was just keeping quiet…for now.

Seth made a face and then walked through the sliding glass doors into what looked like a mini beach. The stands on either side of the arena were lawn chairs, each with its own private table and umbrella. The arena itself was similar to Sarah's except that it incorporated water features along with small patches of bare sand for non-swimming Pokemon to stand on. The air smelled of sand and salt water, a calming mixture than made one imagine oneself laying out on a beach, allowing the sun to warm one's body. Sitting on a colorful lawn chair in the middle of one of the patches of beach, was a man, playing the ukulele with a Slowpoke and Marshstomp dancing slowly. The man had on a button up shirt with palm trees printed all over it and tan swimming trunks, pink flip-flops adorned his feet while equally pink shades covered his eyes. He was smiling contently, if causing a somewhat dopey expression on his face as he strummed.

"Umm, Ken?" Seth questioned. He had pulled off his coat and placed it on a seashell styled coat rack.

Ken looked up from his playing and grinned, revealing a mess of yellow, but straight teeth. "Hey, dudes, a challenger," he said, standing up and folding his lawn chair. He tossed it onto his side of the arena. He stepped to the edge of the sand bar and then dove in, head first, into the water. Seth, Daron, Grace, and Abbey all watched as the Slowpoke and Marshstomp swam lazily to the other leader's end of the pool and then watched as Ken's head popped up on their side. He put his arms on the tile floor and took off his sunglasses, revealing heavy black eyes. He smiled once more and asked, "So, how many badges you got?" His voice was cocky and deep, but also held a small bit of a sarcastic edge to it.

"Just one, my sister's," Seth replied, pulling the Creation Badge out of his pocket.

Ken whistled and shouted over to Slowpoke and Marshstomp, "This ain't gonna be fun guys!" he laughed and then disappeared back underwater, swimming back over to the other side of the arena. He pulled himself out of the pool and took off his shirt, revealing the lean body of a practiced swimmer. He shook his sandy, quite literally, blonde hair and sprayed the surrounding area with water. "Okay," he droned, his voice becoming quite lethargic, "Let's do this, ready Slowpoke?"

Slowpoke didn't respond, but rather just walked to the edge of the water and jumped in, creating a large splash. He rose back up to the surface and began to float, nonchalantly on his belly. "Slowpoke," he said slowly.

Daron gave Seth a mock salute and then walked over to the stands, where he pulled out his sketchbook and pencils, ready to capture any scene that he chose. Abbey placed her head on his knee and Daron scratched her right behind her ears, earning an appreciative murmur from Abbey. He smiled as his heart skipped a beat from the hidden knowledge that he withheld from Seth, Sarah, and even his other Pokemon.

"Would you like to give it a go?" Seth asked Grace calmly, his face comforting and reassuring. Grace nodded confidently, and teleported onto one of the beaches, making sure to place her sweater in Seth's capable hands. "We're ready!" Seth called and Ken nodded.

"There's no ref for gyms this low on the scale, so we gonna be going on the honor code, got that?" Seth nodded and Ken smiled. "Alright then, turn on the damage reducers on your side. Both men turned them on and the distinctive whir of the motors kicking up filled the area with a very subtle white noise.

Grace stood ready, eyeing the Slowpoke, who was still floating on his stomach, idly swishing his tail back and forth calmly. Grace knew better than to underestimate this one, Slowpoke were notorious for being unexpectedly strong. However, probably more than the Slowpoke in front of her, Grace's true enemy was herself. She had once lost a gym battle, the results of which were still permanently sewn into her skin; she had to prove to herself that those scars were not her fault, that she was strong, and it was Thantos who was weak. By finally having some closure with Thantos, Grace felt more empowered, knowing how pathetic he truly was, and wasn't the intimidating, sadist that she once believed him to be.

"Okay, let's get this thing started shall we?" Ken suggested, scratching his back. "Slowpoke, Amnesia." The Slowpoke stopped floating and began to swim, but his expression had no focus, as if he'd simply forgotten what he had been doing, or if he'd been hit at all, or maybe he was hungry.

"**Ready, dear?"** Seth sent into Grace's mind, a small smile appearing on his face. **"Thunderbolt, if you'd please." **Grace grinned and obliged. She held up her hands and an arc of lightning shot out of them. She'd also been training alongside Seth in his dreams, growing stronger both physically and mentally. The lighting slammed into Slowpoke who was thrown back into the wall, but didn't even seem to notice.

Ken groaned and begged, "Come on, man, can ya please just say the things you want her to do?"

Seth rolled his eyes and shouted, "Fine, use Magical Leaf, Grace!"

"**There are no leaves in here, genius, and I'm not a grass type so I don't have any." **Grace giggled slightly as she felt Seth's foolishness. **"Still love you, though!"**

"Slowpoke, use Surf!" Ken called, becoming slightly annoyed with Seth and Grace's cocky attitude. Slowpoke gathered up power in the waves around him and launched a huge tidal wave at Grace.

Seth gritted his teeth and said, "Light Screen." A shimmering wall appeared before Grace as the wave crashed into it with a mighty force, strong enough to shatter Grace's protective barrier. The water hit Grace hard, but had been weakened greatly due to her Light Screen. Grace slid back on the slick sand and decided it was better to float due to her being unable to get decent footing. She levitated as Seth repeated, "Thunderbolt!"

"Yawn!" cried Ken. As Grace charged her Thunderbolt, Slowpoke let out one of the biggest yawns that Seth had ever seen come out of any sort of being. Grace threw the bolt and then suddenly felt very sleepy, as if someone had just put sandbags on her entire body, weighing her down and beckoning her to go into a deep sleep. "Slowpoke!" Ken shouted once again as he watched his friend smack into a wall and then slip into unconsciousness.

Grace smiled happily and Seth sent, **"Told you, you can do it!" **Grace was about to respond, but a sudden blackness overtook her as he lowered herself onto the sand, which had gone from being gritty to soft as a pillow and she nodded off. Seth chuckled and recalled her into her Luxury Ball, releasing her almost immediately after doing so. She was still asleep, but she wasn't battling, which was Seth's intention all along. "Let's go, Fiore!" Seth shouted, mocking younger trainers' trademark move. Seth gently tossed the ball and Fiore popped out, did her signature twirl and then bowed for Ken.

Ken gave a half-smile and a small clap as Marshstomp took his place on of the sand dunes across from Fiore. "Marshstomp, use Icy Wind!" Marshstomp drew in a breath and exhaled powerfully, sending visible air and small bits of ice and snow at Fiore.

"Stop it with Extrasensory!" Seth called. Fiore giggled gleefully and focused her small bit of psychic energy on the particles coming towards her. They stopped dead in their tracks and fell into the pool with slight hisses as they melted. "Now YOU use Magical Leaf!" Seth said, almost laughing as he did so. Fiore hefted up her flower hands and suddenly, an army of multi-colored leaves flew as Marshstomp.

"Get outta there!" Ken shrieked, his voice going an octave higher than it already had been. Marshstomp dove into the pool and began to swim away, but the leaves simply cut through the water like a hot knife through butter, chasing down their target, like a bounty hunter does his prey. The leaves, locked on, began to speed up it seemed as they began to catch up, Marshstomp curled up into a little ball on the bottom of the pool floor, allowing the leavings to slice into him, carefully biding his time. Ken grinned; he had rehearsed this strategy several times before. If Marshstomp couldn't escape a powerful attack, he would use Bide to ride it out and then BAM there goes the attacker.

"Watch yourself, Fiore, he's up to something." Seth called, not needing his ability to feel emotions to know that. Fiore nodded and braced herself, ready for an attack to come at any angle, at any moment, and ready to strike back instantly. Instead, Marshstomp floated up to the surface of the pool and was out cold. Seth had one.

Ken stared in disbelief. "That is one tough Roserade," he commented. He recalled Marshstomp and walked over to a cabinet as Seth managed to pick up Fiore with his powers and place her next to him without Ken noticing. Ken turned, slightly perplexed how Fiore managed to get across the pool, and walked over to Seth. Up close, Seth realized that Ken was actually quite tall, at least 6'6" and was even leaner than Daron. "Here, have the Storm Badge." It was a small cloud, perfectly symmetrical with a bright blue raindrop in the middle.

"Thanks, Ken."

"Hey, you got yourself a nice team. Although, jus' saying, Sarah called me and told me that she took it easy on you." Ken grinned cheekily and Seth shook his head as Daron walked down from the stands, his pencil behind his ear, sketchbook in hand, and with Abbey at his heels.

"She told me that, too," Daron stated, and Abbey giggled.

Seth rolled his eyes as he knelt down and nudged Grace, who was leaning up against a wall, snoring softly. He rocked her knee back and forth until she finally half-opened her eyes and murmured, "No, I don't want the French cheese."

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Sunny was running around the house, creating her usual mischief and cacophony. Dawn had long given up her hope of catching her and decided to just let her run around until she would eventually find her sound asleep on a couch, or at the base of the stairs, or on top of the toilet. As Sunny was running, a million thoughts whizzed through her young mind. She had just seen Dusk yesterday, so she wondered when he was going to be coming home again, and she wondered why Sarah wasn't at the gym today, and she thought about going to eat some of the leftover pancakes that Gus had made earlier that day. Thinking of Gus, Sunny wondered where he best buddy had gotten off to. Ever since she had been hatched, Sunny and Gus had been like old friends, never separated for long, knowing exactly what the other was going to do or say, and always knowing exactly how to cheer the other up. If Sunny had stepped on a sharp twig or rock, Gus would always help her feel better through his funny faces and letting her ride around on his bald head. If Gus came home overly drunk, Sunny would always lead him to his room. If he had a bad hangover the next day, Sunny would lie around his head and let her soft breathing soothe the raging storm inside Gus' brain.

Sunny raced from room to room, frantically searching for Gus. Finally, she spotted him through a window. He was speaking with Sarah with flowers in his hand and a pained expression on his face. Sunny went through the little flap in the front door, specifically made by Daron for her and anyone else that could fit through. She trotted, happily, up to where Sarah and Gus were standing until she could overhear what they were saying.

"Thanks for getting her favorites, Sarah," Gus said blankly, as if his mind were elsewhere. Sunny, deciding to have a bit of fun, hit behind a nearby shrub and listened in, ready to pounce at whoever came by her.

"Lilies, roses, marigold, and perennials, correct?" Sarah responded, her voice sympathetic and understanding.

"Yes…yes, that's right, thank you."

Sarah nodded and headed over to the garage to do who knows what. Sunny peaked out from her hiding place to see what was going on and she saw something that she never thought she'd see. Gus was weeping slightly, but he took out his handkerchief and dabbed at his wrinkly cheeks, moving his gold-rimmed spectacles to get around his eyes. He sniffed and shoved the hanky back into his pocket. He wasn't wearing his usual suit, Sunny noticed, but rather a button up, black dress shirt, with black dress pants and black shoes. He began to walk, passing the gate and making a left turn, not going to the town, but somewhere else entirely. Sunny, being the little investigative pup she was, decided to explore.

She dashed away after Gus, her tiny form being dwarfed by everything around her. After passing through the gate, Sunny looked down a path that she'd never noticed before. It was not very well traveled, nor well kept. Grass crept from its place alongside the dirt path and snaked onto it, as if it were daring itself to see who could go the farthest onto some forbidden territory. 'Where is he going?' Sunny thought. 'He's being so weird!' Instead of the normal, chipper and merry person he normally was, always having a sort of bounce to his stride, Gus was walking slowly, dragging his feet and staining his shoes.

Sunny continued to follow Gus until, finally, she saw him arrive in a clearing. The grass, in sharp contrast to the rest of the path, was well cut and maintained. A low, wrought iron, fence was in a small square around an object in the middle, not so much keeping people out, but rather acting as a barrier against the outside, isolating the object, whatever it was, in an island all to itself. Gus opened the gate and stepped in, kneeling as if he were about to pray.

Sunny silently stalked through the tall grass, watching Gus with great curiosity as he placed the basket of flowers on the ground and began to pick each one up, whisper something into it and place it on something else. As Sunny tried to sneak around, he foot snagged on a twig and she tripped, rather clumsily, right out into the clearing, crying out in process.

Gus whirled around, his face as hard as rock and just as intense. Sunny looked up nervously, her eyes shining like two moons trapped in a world of inverted color. Gus' face relaxed when he realized that it was only Sunny and he lightly whispered, "Come, here, girl. I could really use some company."

Sunny smiled and walked over to Gus' awaiting hand. He reached behind her ears and gave her a quick scratch before picking her up, moving so that his legs were now crossed, and placed her gently in his lap. He scratched the top of her head once more, of which she responded by licking his hand. Gus removed his hand and looked up at giant, well, giant to Sunny, slab of rock. It was mostly flat, but had small indents where letters were carved into it; another slab of rock stood vertical and had the letters "R. I. P." carved into its face. It was a grave stone, Sunny suddenly recognized! As Sunny gawked, Gus continued his ritual. He grabbed a blood red rose and held it to his lips, whispering, "For a woman as elegant as she is lovely" He gingerly laid the rose across the bottom of the flat stone, taking care not to cover any of the writing. He then grasped a delicate white lily. "For the woman who is as pure and outgoing as a child." After laying the lily down, he grabbed a bright marigold. "For a woman who has a heart of gold." He left the marigold next to the name, "Mary." He picked up one of the many different perennials and in a hushed tone said, "For a woman as diverse and lovely as these." He draped the flower across the outer edge of her grave and repeated the ritual, saying the same things for each of the flowers. Sunny watched silently, slowly grasping what had been wrong with Gus today.

Finally the basket was empty and the once cold, gray stone was now vibrant and full of color and life. Gus sat up straight and began to sob. Tears rolled down his face, fast, free, and furiously. "Happy 30th anniversary, my sweet," Gus choked out, causing a new wave of tears to come pouring down his face. Sunny, who was right below Gus' face, suddenly found one of the salty water droplets in her mouth. It tasted bitter and disgusting; it tasted of the misery and loneliness, hidden under a cheap smile. Sunny could taste, the desire, the longing for his wife, which was so pronounced in the lengths he went to on this very special day. "We were going to Hawaii, remember?" Gus wept. "Five years ago, we were going to make plans and go to Hawaii for this one. Five years, have you really been gone that long, it feels like just yesterday I showed you that cheap, busted up ring and asked you to marry me."

"I was so nervous. Me, down on one knee in that pizzeria we loved so much, the ring, busted and dent slightly, but glimmering nonetheless, and you, with that shocked look on your face. You used to wear so much lipstick back then; I still think that I have some left on my lips after you kissed them and said yes." Gus choked back another round of tears and looked down at Sunny, who was silently listening to Gus' monologue. "You must think I'm pretty crazy, huh?" Gus asked. "I'm the weird old guy talking to a rock." He let out a chuckle and explained, "This is where my wife, Mary, is buried. She was the light of my life, lovely, vibrant, a hoot to be around, and always so youthful. It was like age never seemed to affect her spirit. She may have grown old with me on the outside; she was still a child with me on the inside." Gus took in a shaky breath, tears welling up in his eyes once more. "Five years ago…she had a heart attack… It was…so...so sudden and…" Gus squeezed his eyes tight, trying to force the tears back into his body, but they wouldn't stop leaking out one after another. "I never got to say goodbye!" Gus wailed.

Sunny, who had been listening with nothing but the greatest interest, began to feel tears fall down her cheek. She had never seen this side of the cheerful, plump man that she had come to know. What hurt the most was that she couldn't do anything for him, so she just curled up on his lap and lightly licked his hand that was resting on his knee. With quivering hands, Gus reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a small metal flask. Sunny watched as Gus took a long guzzle from the container. She knew exactly what he was drinking. He was drinking whatever poison made him so foreign and bizarre some days. He was naturally silly, but when he drank that stuff, he was a different silly, less like Gus, and more like a stranger. Now Sunny understood why he drank that stuff.

It was the only thing that could take the pain away.

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been updating much guys. It seems like every time I have time to write, something is wrong with my laptop. Of course, whenever I don't have time, it works fine. But you guys don't want to hear about me ranting, so I hope you enjoy the chapter. **


	23. The Shining Corrupted City

Mali sat at his mahogany desk, impatiently drumming his fingers on it. Despite it being the middle of the day, the office was black and dim. The extravagance of it could not be seen through the impenetrable darkness that seeped its way into every macabre item in Mali's office. He had finally found his famed assassin…in Sinnoh… Now, he was waiting for him to reiterate the necessity of finding and killing his son quickly.

The door to the hall opened, but the light seemed to be eaten up by the horrors of the darkness. The man in gray, the famed Liberator of Death, stepped inside, his mask completely emotionless and eerily peering into nothing. He stepped inside and closed the door softly. The way he moved was ethereal, as if he didn't need to move his legs, but he did it anyway just so it would seem like he was a normal human. He didn't bother to sit down and just nodded at Mali, acknowledging that he was listening.

Mali nodded back and then rubbed the bridge of his nose with his meaty, jewelry-ridden hand. "Sir," he began, "Would you kindly explain to me how the _hell_ you managed to end up in Sinnoh?" Mali put his hands forward expectantly.

Liberator remained silent and just shook his head.

Mali's face morphed into one of pure rage. "What do you mean…no?" Mali threatened menacingly, slowly rising to his full height of 6'5". He was quite the large man and his suit was stretched tight against his body. His icy blue eyes bored themselves into the Liberator's unchanging mask. He grasped the Liberator by the collar of his gray shirt, and, although he admired the fine feel of the silk, pulled him two inches from his face. He used his other hand to pull out a .45 magnum and aimed it directly at Liberator's head. "Say "no" once more, I fucking dare you!" he spat.

The Liberator shook his head and grabbed Mali's own collar, bringing a knife up to his neck faster than the eye could see. The two men were at a stalemate, neither wanting to test the other's reflexes. It was a mutual understanding that if one struck, the other would be dead as well. Finally, after a tense and perpetually unnerving moment, both men simultaneously released the other. The Liberator sheathed his knife while Mali put his gun down on the desk and straightened his blue pinstripe. He rolled a hand through a wave of well groomed black hair.

"Fine," Mali conceded, "We won't discuss this, but next time, I will not hesitate like I did this time." The Liberator nodded and motioned for him to continue. Taking a long breath Mali explained, "I probably should have given you more info, but you dashed out of here before I could even show you what he looked like." Mali reached into an inside pocket of his suit and pulled out three pictures. He threw them down on the table. One was a picture of just Seth. He was definitely younger than he was now and had an intense expression on his face. His hair was shorter than it was now, but it was still a bit longer than most guys his age had it. Liberator picked up the picture and studied it. "That's Seth, he is your target. He'll have a member of the Ralts line with him, and if I remember he had an Infernape, Electivire, Froslass, Roserade, and some stupid Feebas. He'll be slightly difficult to confront directly, especially given the amount of time that he's had his powers."

Liberator nodded and picked up the second picture. It was Sarah from two years prior. She was sticking her tongue out while she was on top of Bruce's shoulders. It was one of the few pictures that actually showed Bruce smiling. "That's my daughter, Sarah. I would rather you not kill her as she is the most prominent gym leader around and is very social. It would make things rather…difficult…if she is found dead, but if she gets in your way, just kill her and move on."

Finally, Liberator picked up a picture of Daron and Destiny. Daron had his friendly smile and his hair was about as long as Sarah's. Destiny, his mother, was holding it up with a goofy expression and had scissors in the other hand. "The boy in the picture is Daron, my son. He's an artist, also fairly high-profile, so only slay him if you absolutely must." Liberator pointed to the woman in the picture. Her figure was slim and her eyes were dark brown. She had one purple streak in her long black hair, similar to how Sarah wore hers. "That's my wife," Mali stated bluntly, not a trace of remorse in his voice. He looked at his hands and for a brief second they were covered in blood before it disappeared once again. He clenched his fists and smiled. "That was a good day."

"Why?" Liberator asked in perfect English. The word was short and quick, but the meaning was direct and demanded an answer.

Mali sat down on his plush chair. "I needed to make a point." He picked up the gun and carefully fingered the cold metal. "She was always so fucking perfect, beautiful, sweet, intelligent, self-aware, and modest as hell. Everywhere we went she was asked why she settled with me, everywhere. She said she loved me, and everyone we met fell for the act, including me. One day, almost four years ago, I saw a man leaving her room. She claimed he was a friend, a potential client even for my shipping business." Mali slammed the gun down on the table. "And I believed her, I fucking believed her. I did everything for her and she had the gall to fucking abandon me like that! For two more fucking years I dealt with it, I got angry, I became strong, and I became correct. Finally, I saw the same woman who she'd been with three years prior leave her room once again. She tried to defend herself, say the man was just a friend. Fuck!" Mali threw the gun across the room, directly past Liberator's head. The gun fired and shattered several priceless paintings hanging close together.

"She then tried to leave…she brought home those fucking papers! No one leaves me…no one ever leaves, especially those who blame those with a clean conscience and try to stain it with their own corruption. My children took her side; she had tainted them with her bile. I couldn't take it anymore; she needed to be made an example of. So I took my kids into our room where she tried to fight me, but I gave her as clean a death as I could, but that damn Froslass got the better of me." Mali shivered for a moment before continuing. "I was sent to jail for a year before my assets finally managed to pay the right person and release me…life sentence my ass." By the end of his tale, Mali was breathing hard and ragged. Every muscle was tight and began to ache and his veins were popping out of his hand and head.

Still the Liberator remained silent. He glanced at the picture of Seth and asked, "Where?"

"My sources say that they were heading towards the city of Seraph, a nice, well-off place. I believe you will be very familiar with it, won't you?"

The Liberator did not respond, he merely turned on his heels and exited the door, vanishing without a trace.

Mali stood up and picked up his magnum with shaky hands. He placed it back on his desk and turned towards a large cabinet. He pulled out a small key and opened it, revealing copious amounts of various alcohols. He removed a bottle of vodka and a large shot glass. He put the bottle and glass on his desk, making sure to have coasters underneath them so they didn't ruin his desk and poured himself a hard shot. He swallowed the drink in one gulp and poured another, determined to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, a Zoroark watched her master carefully. She had swiped a picture of Daron when Mali was recounting his tale. She remembered him from when he was a little boy and she was just a small Zorua. She giggled to herself at the time when he had gotten stuck inside door because it slammed on a tie he was wearing.

She looked at Mali as he drowned in alcohol. She had been listening to him lately. He had been speaking to himself about his awful family and the horrid man Daron had become. She couldn't help but think that there was something wrong with her master. Daron had always been the sweetest boy, if a bit rough at times, but all boys were. She couldn't believe he was the genocidal maniac that her father believed, or that Seth was a power hungry lecher, or that Sarah had become nothing more than a slut. She tucked the photo inside her mane and stealthily exited the room as Mali passed out after downing almost two whole bottles.

She looked down the hallway to the left and it was clear, but when she looked to the right, she saw Alakazam. For one so smart, he was way too obedient and never one to question anything."Where are you going?" he asked, his voice was deep and foreboding.

"Doesn't matter," Zoroark answered coyly. She had no time and as she prepared to leap up to a window and find Daron, Alakazam spoke.

"Master doesn't like us leaving."

Zoroark rolled her eyes and remarked, "I don't really care, and I want to find Daron."

Alakazam's eyes widened and he shouted, "That masochistic bastard? Why would you want to visit him?"

Zoroark stopped preparing to jump and slapped Alakazam hard, leaving small red lines where her claws cut him. "Never say that again."

With that, she jumped up with amazing grace and perched herself on the windowsill. She looked over Delictum and spotted a gray clad man heading out of town…in the wrong direction. She laughed as she at first thought this was going to be a race. She agilely leapt from the building onto a low hanging board and began to leave the city.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

"Damn it's cold!" Daron complained. He pulled his coat around himself tighter and tighter, breathing into his hands. The group had left the lovely warmness of Incendio two days beforehand and were now almost to the gleaming city of Seraph. It was a well off town, full of big houses and fancy people with sticks up their asses, as Daron often put it. Everyone in town seemed to believe that they possessed an adept level of psychic abilities, and they also despised Dark types, like every one of Daron's Pokemon. Abbey happily moved closer to Daron and he smiled down at her.

"Hey," Seth said, "Don't complain, at least you have a coat, Grace just has a sweater!" It was a bad argument, and a pointless one at that, but it was a brotherly challenge that Daron couldn't refuse.

"Yes, but she has fancy psychic powers, I'm sure she can do something that can keep her warm!"

"Nope," Seth answered smugly. He was rather proud of himself until Daron and Abbey stopped and just started laughing. Seth turned to Grace, who was behind him and she was holding a Will-O-Wisp, warming the immediate area with a somewhat uncomfortable heat. She giggled uncontrollably as Seth said, "You're not helping!" Grace closed her hand, and sent the move away with it and then wrapped her arms around Seth's neck, pressing her face against his.

He put an arm on hers and she purred happily.

"That sure is an affectionate Gardevoir," a voice from nowhere commented. The group looked behind them and saw an exceptionally well dressed man. He wore a black suit with a crimson shirt underneath. An equally red tie was tucked in neatly. His black pants and shoes gave him the appearance of a stereotypical villain. His hair was slicked back and he had glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose so that he had to look up to see through them. He walked with an arrogant swagger that pretty much confirmed he was a resident of Seraph.

Grace removed her arms from Seth and clasped them in front of herself. She politely nodded to the man. Around strangers, she was even quieter than usual. "Yes, they aren't called the embrace Pokemon for nothing!" Seth replied in a comical manner.

The man ignored Seth's response in favor of reaching out to Grace and taking one of her arms, feeling her sweater without regard for personal space. Grace pulled away from the man and hid behind Seth. "I was looking at your sweater, it is silk, is it not?" the man asked as if he were offended that Grace had pulled away.

"Yes," Seth said quietly, "it is silk."

The man seemed quite pleased with himself as he smiled and said, "I thought so, that's my psychic powers at work there!"

Daron slapped his hand against his own face so hard that it left a red mark where he hit. The man turned and Daron corrected, "It's not being psychic if you feel her sweater before you say anything, dumbass."

The man walked up to Daron. The two were about the same height, but Daron was slouching a bit, so he was probably taller. "Are you questioning me?"

"Yep," Daron answered bluntly and redundantly.

"Why you callow little…" The man never finished as Abbey growled at him. He jumped back in fright and threw a pokeball weakly at her. It opened and revealed a Chingling. "Filthy Dark types, Chingling darling, use Confusion!"

The Psychic type felt its powers flow through it, but nothing happened. Daron began to laugh as Abbey began to roll the Chingling around playfully. The man shouted something, but the small Psychic type was having too much fun to hear him. "Look, can we just go now, Mr. I don't care about your name."

"My name is Clark Vandermill the Second!" he cried out irately. Daron shrugged. "Chingling, stop playing with the mongrel and come back," Clark called and he drew the youngling back into its ball. "Now," he said tiredly, "I will take my leave of you unsophisticated, immature, ungrateful, annoying…"

"Will just go the hell away?" Daron asked.

Clark pushed past Daron and walked speedily down the paved road.

Seth looked at Grace and said, "Welcome to Seraph!" Seth and Daron laughed hysterically as Abbey and Grace looked at each other confusedly.

"Seth," Grace stated out loud so that Daron couldn't understand her, "Is everyone in that city like that?"

Seth put and hand on her shoulder and flashed her a grin. "No, just most of them, it's actually rather funny. There are people who aren't complete assholes. Take Jake for example, he lived here."

The group began walking as Daron called over to Seth, "So, do you think he was top tier?"

Seth thought for a moment before answering, "He might be, although they're usually not as flashy and prefer to keep to themselves."

Daron laughed and looked down at Abbey, who still looked confused as anything. He scratched the top of her head and said, "Seth, Sarah, and I love to make fun of the people here for being rich, even though we probably have more money than all of them combined. It's really rather amusing to watch people desperately convince themselves that they're something they're not just to compete with someone who is also faking it."

"Fortunately, there are some people who make this place bearable, because the city is rather nice," Seth commented.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

After about twenty minutes of walking, the group finally arrived at the edge of the great city of Seraph. The most noticeable difference was the transfer from paved pathway to a gray brick road. The buildings towered over everything with a dominating presence that gave a sense of superiority to anyone on top of them. The shorter buildings flashed with bright neon signs, even in the middle of the day, offering high stakes slots and other such expensive pastimes. Bars lined one side of the road the group was on, but they were fairly average in terms of extravagance. As the group moved towards the middle of the city, they noticed a drop in the level of buildings, but a more posh and high-end atmosphere. Neon signs were replaced with fancy ones with curvy calligraphy. The bars seemed to be less like a place to relax after work, and more lounge types. The advertisements stopped addressing unimportant things such as soldier's relief funds, donating money to those in need, and helping with education, but became more relevant such as the new JPhone 3.123682 and the necessity of buying the newest in high price jewelry.

Finally, the group saw the gym. It was similar in shape to Sarah's, but the outside was purple and silver with an eye painted over the door, staring down all who entered. A young man, perhaps a little younger than Daron, stormed out the doors grumbling something about being cheated by an eleven year old.

Seth opened the door and let everyone else in before himself and closed it behind him. When they got inside, they were standing inside a comfortable lobby setting. A television set was showing the local news and there were couches here and there in case the gym leader, whom Seth remembered to be Brandy, not Jake, was busy with another challenger. A woman came up to the group and a clipboard was floating next to her with a pen hovering just above that. She was probably in her mid-thirties and was dressed nicely. She had a plain red blouse with a blue blazer on top of it. She was wearing a blue skirt which came down to about mid-thigh. "Hello," she said warmly, "which one of you is the challenger?"

"I am," Seth answered, stepping forward slightly.

The pen began to dance on the paper, making light tapping sounds as it moved. "May I have your name and how many badges you have, please?"

"Seth Tenebrae and…" he hesitated for a second. The sixth gym had a requirement of four badges before one could challenge it. However, his sister's badge pretty much guaranteed free entry. "Only two."

The receptionist frowned slightly. "May I see what they are?"

Seth opened a small case and showed her the Creation and Storm Badges, each glimmering in their places. The receptionist raised her eyebrows and said, "We normally ask for four, but because you did well enough to beat your sister, I'll make an exception!"

"Thanks," Seth said sincerely. "We'll just wait over on the couches over there."

With that, the receptionist went behind a counter and pressed a few buttons on a computer. The TV changed to show the battlefield. It was a pretty normal one, shiny and well-maintained. Several rows of bleachers stood empty. Seth sat down and laid his head back as Grace sat next to him and resisted the urge to put her head on his wide open chest. Daron made himself quite at home on one of the other couches as Abbey jumped on top of him, causing him to grunt at the unexpected weight. He playfully pushed her off of him as he reached into his bag and pulled out his sketchbook which he was filling fast with pictures of whatever he saw from trees to Pokemon to other people.

A door next to the desk opened telekinetically and two people stepped into the lobby. One was Brandy, with her bright blonde hair and sparkling purple eyes. She had on a red t-shirt with a picture of a Mime Jr. on it. Her shorts were a bright sky blue and her shoes were dirty. However, she had a determined smile on her face. Behind her was a taller woman. She looked to be in her mid or late twenties with blue hair that was sort of raised up at the bottom. She wore a magenta top with her stomach showing slightly and brilliant white pants. Two large bangles hung loosely from each wrist. She was Sabrina, the Kanto region's psychic gym leader. She was once notorious for being ruthless and hate-filled, but had mellowed out once a certain Haunter came into her life.

Brandy looked around and when she saw Seth, she sprinted over to him and practically leapt upon him. "Seth!" she cried with sheer happiness.

Seth smiled at the young girl who was now on his lap. He gave her a tiny hug as she wrapped her arms around his forcefully. "Hello, Brandy," he said cheerfully. She crawled off of his lap as Seth stood up and stretched along with Grace.

Brandy looked at Grace with astonishment. "There is no way this is the Kirlia I saw a few months ago!" she exclaimed excitedly. She rushed over, but only came up to about Grace's stomach. Grace smiled at her and Brandy held out her hand. Grace gently took it and twirled Brandy around. "Yep, she knows how to dance!"

Seth smirked and said, "Do all Gardevoirs?

"Mhm," she replied as she released Grace's hand and went back to standing next to Sabrina, who hadn't said anything. "So, Seth, are we gonna battle or what?"

"Yes, but first…" Seth trailed off and Brandy cocked her head to one side. "Are Jake's Pokemon still here, they'll recognize me and maybe Daron."

Brandy smiled childishly. "Yep, they're in the back. They live here most of the time. When Jake died, they said that I could even use them sometimes in battle!" In a blur of motion, Brandy raced out through the door, opening it without touching it.

Sabrina smiled lightly and shook her head. "She's so talented, just so full of energy."

Daron, who Seth thought had fallen asleep gently pushed Abbey off of himself once again and stood up, stretching. He looked over to Sabrina and shook his head. "You would be here," he commented apathetically.

Sabrina's eye twitched and she clenched her fists. "Daron Tenebrae, I didn't see you there." Her voice was even, but her face betrayed her attempts to appear calm.

Daron chuckled, "Well Seth is my brother, plus, there's some nice scenery to paint out here. By the way, have you gotten over that thing yet?" Sabrina's nostrils flared and Daron walked slightly closer to Abbey. "I guess not…"

Seth sighed and rubbed his eyes. "What did you do, dumbass?" he asked maladroitly

"You remember when she was all crazy, sadistic, bitchy, and all of the above?" Daron questioned. "Yea, well, I might have baited her when Dad went to negotiate something at Silph Co. and I might have a painting of it that I, probably didn't, but could've sent to her…"

"I use it as target practice," Sabrina commented maliciously. "Your Nuzleaf's laughing face makes and exceptionally good target…"

Seth began to say something, but the door reopened and Brandy peaked her head in. "Come in guys, come on!" She ducked her had back in and they heard her heavy footsteps as she ran across the gym floor.

"Will you kill Daron if I leave you alone, Sabrina?" Seth asked, only somewhat jokingly.

Sabrina huffed and replied, "I'm going to my room in the back, I want Daron to take something back…" She then disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Daron began to laugh and Seth chastised, "If she comes after you, I'm walking away, you know that right?" Daron just nodded his head, clearly amused with himself.

"I'll be fine."

Seth nodded, took Grace by the wrist and walked inside the doors. Inside, the gym was the same as on the TV screen, only now there was a line of Pokemon on the floor. Brandy was sitting in a fluffy armchair on the far end with a few huddled around her that were obviously more attached to her than the others. The ones around Brandy were a Grumpig, which was doing a jig for no apparent reason, a Metang, which floated silently in the background, and her Alakazam, the one that had saved Seth from dying in the forest. Standing in the middle of the arena were Jake's Pokemon. A Claydol levitated, simply spinning every now and again, his Wobbuffet, wiggling quietly back and forth. Standing on the far end of the line were a Gallade and Gardevoir, both speaking to one another quietly.

Grace suddenly gasped as she stared at the two and a large smile crept its way onto her face. "Mom…Dad?" she asked nervously to the two members of her race. The two looked over from their conversation and their jaws dropped.

The Gallade furiously ran over to his daughter and swept her up in his arms. "My baby, my little girl!" he cried happily as he deposited her back next to Seth.

Grace's mother stepped up and placed a hand on Grace's face as if to make sure she was real. "She's not so little anymore, dear." She embraced her daughter lovingly. "How have you been, and that is an absolutely darling sweater!"

Grace's father walked over to Seth, who was intentionally not interfering with the family reunion. "Can the guy understand us?" The question was not meant to be answered by Grace and had a subtle meaning to it. The true question was if Grace had bestowed a Mark upon Seth as he had Jake.

Seth politely smiled and responded, "Yes, I can understand you perfectly." He rolled up his sleeve to answer the never asked question.

The Gallade nodded. "Alright, glad to see my daughter ended up with someone she trusts enough to give that. By the way, my name is David and my wife, Mary." He stuck out his hand and Seth grasped it firmly.

The two men walked back over to where Grace and her mother were standing and Seth introduced himself, but not as Grace's mate; he was unsure how they would react to that bombshell. Mary clapped her hands together happily and said, "So Grace, will you fill us in on what's happened with you since we were caught by Jake?"

Grace suddenly went from complete elation to a concoction of guilt, sadness, and anger. He eyes shot down to the floor and she twisted her hands together nervously as memories raced past in her mind. She had settled her own demons, but there was no telling how her parents would respond to all that had transpired in the several years since she'd been a young Ralts. "It's a little bit…long and complicated," Grace murmured, a blush filling her face. She saw the time from when she came home and her parents weren't there to when she evolved after being in a particularly nasty fight with a few Linoone, to when Thantos captured and abused her, to when she finally made love with Seth.

Her parents had faces of grave concern on and they quickly put loving arms around her shoulders. Grace wasn't crying, or even looked like she was about to cry, but it was comforting nonetheless. Seth stepped forward and whispered, "I'll tell Brandy to postpone our match until later, so you all can catch up…on the…unfortunate events that have occurred. I will be along shortly, unless you'd rather do this on your own…"

"No," Grace stated firmly, "I want you there with me." Her voice was committed and self-assured.

Seth nodded and smiled sweetly at her. "I'll be back in a little bit."

"Come on, sweetie, let's head to our room," Mary soothed, her motherly nature coming out full force.

Seth watched as the trio walked into the back and he swiftly paced to where Brandy was sitting. She had a good view of what had happened so when Seth stated that he needed to delay the match, she wasn't surprised. "Come back soon, I wanna kick your butt!" she exclaimed cheerily. "Their room is down the hall and the first door on the left, just so you know," she added with a small wink.

Seth gave her a mock salute with two fingers and then exited through the back door. He didn't bother telling Daron because he either had fallen asleep or started painting, either one would keep him busy for a while. The hallway was fairly unremarkable as Seth strolled down the linoleum floors, admiring the photos of all the people who had beaten the gym. The photos went back quite a while, before even Jake was the gym leader. The original one had far more photos of victors than Jake, but that might have just been because he was there longer than Jake. He found the door Brandy described and as he was about to open it, he saw Sabrina carrying something square and white, a cross look cemented on her face. "Damn him, I'm gonna bash this over his head and then…" Sabrina mumbled to herself as she marched through the halls.

Seth shook his head and entered the room. The floor was still linoleum but the bed looked soft and was a deep purple. A picture of a lake with smoke pouring over it was the only source of obvious decoration. The couple seemed to share Jake's minimalistic tendencies. Grace was seated on the bed with her mother next to her and her father leaning against a wall. She was talking and using her hands in slightly exaggerated motions in order to help her get her point across. Seth slipped inside and closed the door, making sure no one overheard. He stood next to the door as he begun to listen in.

"He raped me, beat me, did horrible things to me…" Grace trailed off as she looked at Seth. Her red eyes were filled with an unusual fire. Instead of one of determination or anger, it was more like a hearth. It warmed Seth to see such a fire and invited him to sit with her. Seth obliged and moved to sit down next to Grace, resisting the desperate desire to place a comforting arm around his love, but he wasn't sure if Grace had told them yet.

"Told us what, Seth?" David the Gallade asked, a slight edge to his voice. Seth had forgotten that they could read minds.

Seth licked his lips nervously and he looked at Grace. An uncomfortable silence passed. Not a thought made it through the minds of anyone for fear of an unintentional reading. Sighing, Grace removed her mother's arm from around her and said, "You asked me before Seth came in if I'd found a mate yet…"

"And you didn't answer, if I recall," David stated sternly, just like a father.

"Relax, honey," Mary said to no one in particular. Seth noticed she had quite the fondness for pet names.

Grace took a large breath and explained, "I do have a mate…but…" Grace trailed off and put a hand to her mouth, trying to find the right words, but her entire vocabulary seemed void of anything except for one thing: Seth. "He's not exactly a Pokemon…" Grace managed to get out. She took her hand away from her mouth and placed it on Seth's, which had been on his knee. She was blushing so severely that it was as if her skin was not even white anymore.

Putting two and two together, Grace's mother and father looked at each other, astonished. Grace wrapped her hand around Seth's so tightly that he could feel her shaking. She moved a few a little bit closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder tentatively. David put a hand on his head and said, "I just met you and now I have no give you the 'I'm going to kill you if you hurt my daughter' speech." A large smile let everyone in the room know that he was kidding. With that smile, there seemed to be a sudden drop in the tension of the room, as if the air was still and now allowed to move once more. David chuckled, "Grace told us what you did, and what you are like. I think she's in good hands, even if you're a different species." His face suddenly hardened. "But in all honesty, if you hurt my daughter, I will hunt you down."

"DAD!" Grace shrieked as if she was a teenage girl. The blush hadn't left her face.

David laughed hysterically. "I miss being a father!" he shouted. He wasn't being mean; he just loved to tease people.

Mary sat down and said very quietly, "You do know that this relationship can't produce children and that you have to keep it under wraps, don't you?"

Seth nodded. Grace did as well, but it was slower and seemed more melancholy that accepting. Mary looked at her child. She was a beautiful Gardevoir. She was a bit on the smaller side, but she would grow within the year. There was an undying spirit in her as well that one as young as her could only achieve by having gone through endless struggle. No matter if she was sad or happy, Mary could tell that her child would never give in, and would never stop to make others happy. She was as proud as any mother could be. She looked at Seth. He was truly a fine man. He wore mostly black she noted, but that was just a personal preference of his. She watched as he gave Grace a small peck on the cheek and she felt the endless love that could only come from the very depths of the heart. She was just as proud of him as she was of Grace, despite only knowing him for a short time.

(=)(=)(=)(=)

Back in the lobby, Daron was standing, sketchbook in hand, Abbey in tears of joy and laughter by his feet, Sabrina looming over him, looking quite smug and rather satisfied with herself, and finally, an old painting around his neck, with his head through a hole in the center. He had been quietly sketching a design in his book when Sabrina barged through the doors and slammed the painting he had made almost four years prior over his head, rather painfully.

Sabrina laughed in a bubbly manner, contrary to her usual somber demeanor, and said, "You know what, I feel so much better."

Daron laid his book down by Abbey, who was still rolling on the ground. He removed the ruined painting, with numerous burn marks from where Sabrina had blasted it, off of his head and shook off the loose bits hanging in his hair. He asked the receptionist if there was a dumpster anywhere near there. In response, she pointed at the canvas and it disappeared. Daron thanked her and went back to where Abbey had finally managed to calm down, but she was holding her side with one of her paws. "I'm glad we got that all settled. Now, can we get over this and move on?"

Sabrina gave Daron a sly look and admitted, "I got over it years ago, I've just been waiting for the opportunity to that!" She laughed once more and teleported away as Daron playfully lunged at her.

He rolled his eyes and picked up his sketchbook. Sitting on the couch, he tore out the page he was working on. Abbey hopped up next to him and laid her head on his stomach, making sure she could view what he had been working on. It was a picture of Sabrina in battle, commanding her Kadabra expertly. The basic structures had been quickly sketched with just enough detail to make out who was who. Daron crumpled it up and tossed it in a tin waste basket to his right. Abbey looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "I was going to paint that as a peace offering, but seeing as she was just playing me this entire time…I think I'll paint something much prettier. Like you!"

Abbey giggled and Daron rubbed her body carefully. He and Abbey technically weren't mates and were only in the courting phase if one was to ask any professor, but he always considered him and Abbey mates. In all honesty, Daron was rather scared to mate with Abbey. It was not because he didn't love her, for he did with all his might, but because he didn't want her to become another face in his mind, another number with no name. He was worried the same striking revelation that made him discover his love for Abbey would turn on him and remove his love for her. He just couldn't do that to her. He didn't want to hurt her and he didn't want her to end up being number sixteen.

**A/N: After three months, a new chapter. I managed to get two chapters out for Parallel of Love and Madness, so check that out if you want. Also, I am planning a one-shot to be released whenever I get done with it. Finally, my profile; I will be changing the poll on it and posting the results on my profile, and I will also update the preview section so it actually gives a little bit of a preview and not just when I estimate I will release things. One final thing, if anyone would like to help provide art for my story, it would be greatly appreciated as I have zero talent when it comes to that kind of thing. Message me if you're interested. **


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